Fremd upsets Warren in shootout stunner
Vikings tie game in 75th minute, win regional in 8th PK round
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE -- There's no greater agony in soccer than losing a penalty kick shootout, even more so in the dramatic fashion of sudden death.
For players, managers and fans, it's a torturous experience that puts your destiny at the mercy of 10 spot-kicks from 12 yards. In the case of the Fremd Regional final, it required six more.
There's little doubt shootouts add so much more mental and physical strain to an already adrenaline-filled, teenaged player, which makes what they do in these times of stress all the more amazing.
Fremd’s Kaitlyn Roti knows it, so does her teammate Gemma Gillespie. Warren’s all-state candidate Ella Skelton has gone through it in her vast soccer experiences.
In the end, however, someone must advance in the state tournament. On this Friday night at Hildebrandt Field, it was the home side Fremd which left happy, and visiting Warren that departed heartbroken.
When 100 minutes and six rounds of PKs were unable to settle this regional final, Roti stepped up to deliver hit the winning ball and gave the Vikings (12-6-3) a 5-4 final advantage and dramatic victory.
Ironically, the win sends Roti and the Vikings to the Warren for the sectional phase of the state tournament. They will face top-seed Glenbrook North (19-1-1), which was ranked eighth in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The game is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Roti was firm in her philosophy as she stepped to the game-winning opportunity.
"Warren's keeper was amazing all night, and in the shootout as well,” she said. “But I was reminded never to change the way you go in to a shootout.
“Although it wasn't the greatest shot, it had enough on it to go off their keeper and into the back of the net."
After the ball crossed the line, Roti turned to face her hard-charging teammates who smothered the junior in what became a long celebration after the upset of fourth-seeded and 18th-ranked Warren.
The result was shocking for the Blue Devils, but anything can happen in playoff soccer.
"If you played the game long enough, you’re going to be involved in games like this," said Skelton, who will play next fall at Loyola. “We played hard, and I am so very proud of the effort each one of my teammates gave. But tonight, it just wasn't enough.”
Skelton turned in a courageous, and valiant effort on this night.
"I've said for years (that) in difficult times, you have a choice," began Warren manager Ryan McCabe. “You can choose to be a victim, or you can choose to be a warrior -- Ella is a warrior.
"Ella turned her ankle against Deerfield in the first half last Thursday, and after that she scored four goals and added an assist. She is a tough, strong and compassionate leader. I have been fortunate to have been her coach during her four years here."
McCabe did not mention it, but it was clear in the opening moments of this contest that Skelton was not at 100 percent due to her left ankle injury. It robbed her of her supersonic speed, quickness and ability to change direction in an instant.
Then the Blue Devils co-captain suffered a similar injury to her right ankle in the first five minutes. That caused McCabe to bring on talented freshman Brooke Gaertig, who later provided a magnificent helper on the game’s opening goal.
"I took myself right away to get checked out," recounted Skelton. “We got someone in like (Brooke) who could give us what we needed that I couldn't at the time.”
Skelton saw spot duty during the rest of the first half, then turned in a terrific effort for the next hour to impact the Blue Devils attack.
"Ella was never close to being 100 percent tonight, but she was still able to create chances and plenty of havoc for their backline in the second half and the two overtime periods," said McCabe.
Fremd, seeded sixth and listed among the honorable mention teams in the Chicagoland Soccer ranking, started the game much stronger than the Blue Devils (12-4-4). The Vikings hoped a solid start against an opponent that likes to possess and build from the back through top-notch midfielder Samantha Pullins, might disrupt their attack and set the tone for the game.
"Our plan all along coming in was to pressure them all over the field, make it difficult to connect passes and not allow them to find no. 21 (Pullins) in the middle, who would then find one of their speedy forwards up-top," said Vikings sophomore Gemma Gillespie, who began the night alongside Bella Scesniak to form a solid central defensive pair. She later moved into the midfield near the quarter hour in one of manager Steve Keller’s tactical changes.
"We did a really good job at the start keeping them from getting anything going in their attack,” said Roti. “That's why I was a little nervous when they scored the first goal (into) the wind. I thought that goal might really give them so much more energy than us."
That happened, but didn’t last.
"There was a definite energy shift on our behalf after Addy's (Addison Stanciak’s) goal,” said Skelton. “But at this time of the year, it becomes more of a mind game than anything else. When we didn't sustain that energy, it kind of allowed Fremd to regroup a little."
The goal came when Gaertig sprang Stanciak free up the left side. With a burst of speed, the freshman beat her outside mark and forced Vikings keeper Sam Gary to come off her line.
Despite the narrowing shot angle, the Blue Devil stayed composed in the moment and delivered a clinical finish inside the back post that gave the visitors the lead in the 16th minute. It was the biggest tally of Stanciak’s young career and her ninth goal of the season
The ice-breaker could have been devastating to Fremd.
"We hung our heads right after that goal, but we didn't let it stay with us,” said Gillespie. “(There) was too much to play for, especially the seniors on this team that we did not want to see play their last high school game of their careers."
The Vikings responded. Gillespie came face-to-face with Devils keeper Trish Georgiou who pulled a well-struck free kick from Scesniak into her gloves in the six-yard box. Fremd keeper Gary answered with a left-footed save on a Stanciak effort moments later.
The Vikings never put anything of value on frame in the first half, despite a strong north wind in its favor. But thanks to the box-to-box, all-action efforts of Roti and Anna Schmitt, who would share Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors, Warren was not able to put much together in the run of play in the remainder of the first half.
"We opened in a 4-3-3, but soon changed to a 4-4-2, with me playing the (six),” said Roti. “Between Anna and myself, we had to try to win every ball or disrupt their attack as best as we could."
"This is the time of the season when you see a lot of different styles of play,” said Skelton. “You just have to adjust to whatever your opponent is playing. It took us awhile to adjust to (Fremd), because their constant pressure and physical play was not easy to adjust to."
"I think their physicality definitely impacted our ability to keep the ball,” said McCabe. “We had periods of good possession, and I thought we created some opportunities from that, but there wasn't a lot of time, or space, to do it very often."
Schmitt never stopped running to attempt to collect a long ball out of the back just minutes into the second period. Warren defender Olivia Ehlers’ sense of potential danger made her move quickly to challenge. If she had not, the Vikings might have had created a chance.
Moments later, Fremd’s Keller was booked for dissent as he continued to question referee Jay Weis. Discord continued between the pair and boiled over in the 63rd minute when Keller felt the referee blew a quick whistle that took away advantage.
That brought a second yellow card that sent Keller away for the rest of the evening. Assistant, Kelsie Havell took over for the duration.
Just before that clerical action, Warren’s Katelyn Crowson provided a lovely ball to the back post, where Stanciak forced Gary into a save.
Moments later, Skelton came inches close to catching up to a Paige Hogberg free kick to the back post.
With both sides sensing the next goal would be the most important of the night, the intensity, urgency and ferocity in tackling took a major uptick. The physical play led to 15 fouls and a yellow card in the second half.
During the final quarter hour, Fremd’s Roti, Schmitt and Gillespie, and the entire backline, came quicker and stronger into nearly every 50/50 and second ball to make life difficult for the Warren attack, which still looked to target Skelton, Stanciak and sophomore Reese Mertens up-top.
Fremd’s all-state candidate, senior forward Emily Spotak, was quiet for most of the night as one of the Vikings front-runners. But she awoke and showed just why players of her ilk can be so dangerous in a blink of an eye.
She tricked her way past her mark and found Gillespie who went end line and played a brilliant ball to Kylie Williams. The senior midfielder found a way to steer in her header from a crowd.
The 75th-minute equalizer sent the Vikings faithful into a frenzy and soon brought two, 10 -minute extra sessions of play.
Once there, Warren showed first with Skelton and Pullins going wide as both backlines worked to be more stingy that the other to keep things even.
Both units deserve praise for their 100 minutes of work. The back quartets are often overlooked due to memorable goals or miraculous saves. Both managers were quick to praise their respective units.
"Our backline, and Trish in goal, have been amazing for us all year long,” McCabe said. “They do not get enough credit, but they have been sturdy. Thanks to their efforts and hard work with coach Heather Crawford, they have been a source of pride. If not for a special play for Fremd, we would have come out of here 1-0 winners."
"The one constant of late, and you saw it tonight, was the play from our backline," said Fremd’s Havell. “(They) play so well together, and have really come together to form a very strong group that can tackle, challenge and get forward when we need them to.”
Junior Shannon Moran, and sophomore Maddie McMillan, who will be key figures on the 2023 Vikings club, were terrific as outside backs on this night.
Both sides played more of a chess match in the second overtime period to set up what most felt was inevitable.
"It's a really tough way to decide a game like this, especially when both keepers are so good in shootouts, " said Gillespie.
Once there, Warren went over the bar with two kicks in the first round. Georgiou turned two away to keep the Blue Devils alive and force sudden death after a 3-3 deadlock.
Ehlers converted her spot kick, as did Spotak to keep the shootout even after the sixth round. Then each keeper made heroic saves to send the tiebreaker into round eight.
After Hogberg went just wide, Roti stepped to the line. She smashed her shot off Georgiou, who guessed correctly but was undone by the ball’s pace.
"Lily (Spotak) volunteered to take the first shot after the first five,” said Roti. “I knew it might come down to me, but I tried my best not to let that get into my head.
“When I went to take my shot, and after it went in, all I remember is my teammates running so fast to come celebrate with me."
"It's always tough to lose that way and especially for the seniors,” began an emotional McCabe. “But this was such a special group of girls, with a group of seniors who have been through so much including COVID lockdowns, injuries, setbacks and personal struggles. They have endured it all,
"They have given it their all. The impressions and impact this group has made on our program, the underclassmen and the coaching staff will be visible for years to come."
"I am not ready to say goodbye to a great bunch of friends and teammates so soon,” said Skelton. “And especially to coach McCabe, who not only has been the best coach I've ever played for, but also a great friend who has always been there for support. That is something that will stay with me forever.
"We had a really wonderful group of players this year. We had four freshmen in our first 11 for most of the year, and I know they will be ready to step up next year to assume more responsibility along with a strong group of returning players."
In the melancholy moments after the game, Skelton shared a long hug with her coach.
She finished her high school career with a season-leading 13 goals and nine helpers.
To the victor went the spoils.
"We just refused to give up (from) the time they scored first, right up until we got even near the end, and all the way through overtime and the shootout,” said Gillespie. “I really believe none of us believed we would lose tonight, which I am very proud of."
Resilience after a downpatch of the season paved Fremd’s path to the sectionals.
"We lost to Warren (1-0) at the Naperville invite, and we really didn't play well as a team all through that tournament,” said Havell. “But we've come back and played so much better since that. Tonight, it truly was a team effort to get this result"
Starting lineups
Warren (4-3-3)
G- Trish Georgiou
D- Mia Gloria
D- Olivia Ehlers
D- Paige Hogberg
D- Emma Paraskos
M- Kylie Mahoney
M- Samathan Pullins
M- Katelyn Crowson
F- Addison Stanciak
F- Reese Mertens
F- Ella Skelton
Fremd (4-3-3)
G- Sam Gary
D- Maddie McMillan
D- Gemma Gillespie
D- Bella Scesniak
D- Shannon Moran
M- Anna Schmitt
M- Kaitlyn Roti
M- Kylie Williams
F- Sammie Findysz
F- Ania Ciborowski
F- Lily Spotak
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Kaitlyn Roti, jr., MF, Fremd
Anna Schmitt, sr., MF, Fremd
Referee: Jay Weis
Scoring summary
First half
Warren: Stanciak (Gaertig) 16'
Second half
Fremd: Williams (GIllespie, Spotak) 75'
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout
Warren: Georgiou (over); Crowson (goal); Stanciak (over); Mahoney (goal); Paraskos (goal); Ehlers (goal); Gaertig (save); Hogberg (wide)
Fremd: Gillespie (goal); Scesniak (save); Schmitt (goal); Moran (save); Findysz (goal); Spotak (goal); Varon (save); Rodi (goal)
Statistics
Shots on
Warren: 4
Fremd: 5
Shots off
Warren: 5
Fremd: 3
Fouls
Warren: 14
Fremd: 16
Corner kicks
Warren: 3
Fremd: 1
Offsides
Warren: 3
Fremd: 3
Vikings tie game in 75th minute, win regional in 8th PK round
By Mike Garofola
PALATINE -- There's no greater agony in soccer than losing a penalty kick shootout, even more so in the dramatic fashion of sudden death.
For players, managers and fans, it's a torturous experience that puts your destiny at the mercy of 10 spot-kicks from 12 yards. In the case of the Fremd Regional final, it required six more.
There's little doubt shootouts add so much more mental and physical strain to an already adrenaline-filled, teenaged player, which makes what they do in these times of stress all the more amazing.
Fremd’s Kaitlyn Roti knows it, so does her teammate Gemma Gillespie. Warren’s all-state candidate Ella Skelton has gone through it in her vast soccer experiences.
In the end, however, someone must advance in the state tournament. On this Friday night at Hildebrandt Field, it was the home side Fremd which left happy, and visiting Warren that departed heartbroken.
When 100 minutes and six rounds of PKs were unable to settle this regional final, Roti stepped up to deliver hit the winning ball and gave the Vikings (12-6-3) a 5-4 final advantage and dramatic victory.
Ironically, the win sends Roti and the Vikings to the Warren for the sectional phase of the state tournament. They will face top-seed Glenbrook North (19-1-1), which was ranked eighth in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The game is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Roti was firm in her philosophy as she stepped to the game-winning opportunity.
"Warren's keeper was amazing all night, and in the shootout as well,” she said. “But I was reminded never to change the way you go in to a shootout.
“Although it wasn't the greatest shot, it had enough on it to go off their keeper and into the back of the net."
After the ball crossed the line, Roti turned to face her hard-charging teammates who smothered the junior in what became a long celebration after the upset of fourth-seeded and 18th-ranked Warren.
The result was shocking for the Blue Devils, but anything can happen in playoff soccer.
"If you played the game long enough, you’re going to be involved in games like this," said Skelton, who will play next fall at Loyola. “We played hard, and I am so very proud of the effort each one of my teammates gave. But tonight, it just wasn't enough.”
Skelton turned in a courageous, and valiant effort on this night.
"I've said for years (that) in difficult times, you have a choice," began Warren manager Ryan McCabe. “You can choose to be a victim, or you can choose to be a warrior -- Ella is a warrior.
"Ella turned her ankle against Deerfield in the first half last Thursday, and after that she scored four goals and added an assist. She is a tough, strong and compassionate leader. I have been fortunate to have been her coach during her four years here."
McCabe did not mention it, but it was clear in the opening moments of this contest that Skelton was not at 100 percent due to her left ankle injury. It robbed her of her supersonic speed, quickness and ability to change direction in an instant.
Then the Blue Devils co-captain suffered a similar injury to her right ankle in the first five minutes. That caused McCabe to bring on talented freshman Brooke Gaertig, who later provided a magnificent helper on the game’s opening goal.
"I took myself right away to get checked out," recounted Skelton. “We got someone in like (Brooke) who could give us what we needed that I couldn't at the time.”
Skelton saw spot duty during the rest of the first half, then turned in a terrific effort for the next hour to impact the Blue Devils attack.
"Ella was never close to being 100 percent tonight, but she was still able to create chances and plenty of havoc for their backline in the second half and the two overtime periods," said McCabe.
Fremd, seeded sixth and listed among the honorable mention teams in the Chicagoland Soccer ranking, started the game much stronger than the Blue Devils (12-4-4). The Vikings hoped a solid start against an opponent that likes to possess and build from the back through top-notch midfielder Samantha Pullins, might disrupt their attack and set the tone for the game.
"Our plan all along coming in was to pressure them all over the field, make it difficult to connect passes and not allow them to find no. 21 (Pullins) in the middle, who would then find one of their speedy forwards up-top," said Vikings sophomore Gemma Gillespie, who began the night alongside Bella Scesniak to form a solid central defensive pair. She later moved into the midfield near the quarter hour in one of manager Steve Keller’s tactical changes.
"We did a really good job at the start keeping them from getting anything going in their attack,” said Roti. “That's why I was a little nervous when they scored the first goal (into) the wind. I thought that goal might really give them so much more energy than us."
That happened, but didn’t last.
"There was a definite energy shift on our behalf after Addy's (Addison Stanciak’s) goal,” said Skelton. “But at this time of the year, it becomes more of a mind game than anything else. When we didn't sustain that energy, it kind of allowed Fremd to regroup a little."
The goal came when Gaertig sprang Stanciak free up the left side. With a burst of speed, the freshman beat her outside mark and forced Vikings keeper Sam Gary to come off her line.
Despite the narrowing shot angle, the Blue Devil stayed composed in the moment and delivered a clinical finish inside the back post that gave the visitors the lead in the 16th minute. It was the biggest tally of Stanciak’s young career and her ninth goal of the season
The ice-breaker could have been devastating to Fremd.
"We hung our heads right after that goal, but we didn't let it stay with us,” said Gillespie. “(There) was too much to play for, especially the seniors on this team that we did not want to see play their last high school game of their careers."
The Vikings responded. Gillespie came face-to-face with Devils keeper Trish Georgiou who pulled a well-struck free kick from Scesniak into her gloves in the six-yard box. Fremd keeper Gary answered with a left-footed save on a Stanciak effort moments later.
The Vikings never put anything of value on frame in the first half, despite a strong north wind in its favor. But thanks to the box-to-box, all-action efforts of Roti and Anna Schmitt, who would share Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors, Warren was not able to put much together in the run of play in the remainder of the first half.
"We opened in a 4-3-3, but soon changed to a 4-4-2, with me playing the (six),” said Roti. “Between Anna and myself, we had to try to win every ball or disrupt their attack as best as we could."
"This is the time of the season when you see a lot of different styles of play,” said Skelton. “You just have to adjust to whatever your opponent is playing. It took us awhile to adjust to (Fremd), because their constant pressure and physical play was not easy to adjust to."
"I think their physicality definitely impacted our ability to keep the ball,” said McCabe. “We had periods of good possession, and I thought we created some opportunities from that, but there wasn't a lot of time, or space, to do it very often."
Schmitt never stopped running to attempt to collect a long ball out of the back just minutes into the second period. Warren defender Olivia Ehlers’ sense of potential danger made her move quickly to challenge. If she had not, the Vikings might have had created a chance.
Moments later, Fremd’s Keller was booked for dissent as he continued to question referee Jay Weis. Discord continued between the pair and boiled over in the 63rd minute when Keller felt the referee blew a quick whistle that took away advantage.
That brought a second yellow card that sent Keller away for the rest of the evening. Assistant, Kelsie Havell took over for the duration.
Just before that clerical action, Warren’s Katelyn Crowson provided a lovely ball to the back post, where Stanciak forced Gary into a save.
Moments later, Skelton came inches close to catching up to a Paige Hogberg free kick to the back post.
With both sides sensing the next goal would be the most important of the night, the intensity, urgency and ferocity in tackling took a major uptick. The physical play led to 15 fouls and a yellow card in the second half.
During the final quarter hour, Fremd’s Roti, Schmitt and Gillespie, and the entire backline, came quicker and stronger into nearly every 50/50 and second ball to make life difficult for the Warren attack, which still looked to target Skelton, Stanciak and sophomore Reese Mertens up-top.
Fremd’s all-state candidate, senior forward Emily Spotak, was quiet for most of the night as one of the Vikings front-runners. But she awoke and showed just why players of her ilk can be so dangerous in a blink of an eye.
She tricked her way past her mark and found Gillespie who went end line and played a brilliant ball to Kylie Williams. The senior midfielder found a way to steer in her header from a crowd.
The 75th-minute equalizer sent the Vikings faithful into a frenzy and soon brought two, 10 -minute extra sessions of play.
Once there, Warren showed first with Skelton and Pullins going wide as both backlines worked to be more stingy that the other to keep things even.
Both units deserve praise for their 100 minutes of work. The back quartets are often overlooked due to memorable goals or miraculous saves. Both managers were quick to praise their respective units.
"Our backline, and Trish in goal, have been amazing for us all year long,” McCabe said. “They do not get enough credit, but they have been sturdy. Thanks to their efforts and hard work with coach Heather Crawford, they have been a source of pride. If not for a special play for Fremd, we would have come out of here 1-0 winners."
"The one constant of late, and you saw it tonight, was the play from our backline," said Fremd’s Havell. “(They) play so well together, and have really come together to form a very strong group that can tackle, challenge and get forward when we need them to.”
Junior Shannon Moran, and sophomore Maddie McMillan, who will be key figures on the 2023 Vikings club, were terrific as outside backs on this night.
Both sides played more of a chess match in the second overtime period to set up what most felt was inevitable.
"It's a really tough way to decide a game like this, especially when both keepers are so good in shootouts, " said Gillespie.
Once there, Warren went over the bar with two kicks in the first round. Georgiou turned two away to keep the Blue Devils alive and force sudden death after a 3-3 deadlock.
Ehlers converted her spot kick, as did Spotak to keep the shootout even after the sixth round. Then each keeper made heroic saves to send the tiebreaker into round eight.
After Hogberg went just wide, Roti stepped to the line. She smashed her shot off Georgiou, who guessed correctly but was undone by the ball’s pace.
"Lily (Spotak) volunteered to take the first shot after the first five,” said Roti. “I knew it might come down to me, but I tried my best not to let that get into my head.
“When I went to take my shot, and after it went in, all I remember is my teammates running so fast to come celebrate with me."
"It's always tough to lose that way and especially for the seniors,” began an emotional McCabe. “But this was such a special group of girls, with a group of seniors who have been through so much including COVID lockdowns, injuries, setbacks and personal struggles. They have endured it all,
"They have given it their all. The impressions and impact this group has made on our program, the underclassmen and the coaching staff will be visible for years to come."
"I am not ready to say goodbye to a great bunch of friends and teammates so soon,” said Skelton. “And especially to coach McCabe, who not only has been the best coach I've ever played for, but also a great friend who has always been there for support. That is something that will stay with me forever.
"We had a really wonderful group of players this year. We had four freshmen in our first 11 for most of the year, and I know they will be ready to step up next year to assume more responsibility along with a strong group of returning players."
In the melancholy moments after the game, Skelton shared a long hug with her coach.
She finished her high school career with a season-leading 13 goals and nine helpers.
To the victor went the spoils.
"We just refused to give up (from) the time they scored first, right up until we got even near the end, and all the way through overtime and the shootout,” said Gillespie. “I really believe none of us believed we would lose tonight, which I am very proud of."
Resilience after a downpatch of the season paved Fremd’s path to the sectionals.
"We lost to Warren (1-0) at the Naperville invite, and we really didn't play well as a team all through that tournament,” said Havell. “But we've come back and played so much better since that. Tonight, it truly was a team effort to get this result"
Starting lineups
Warren (4-3-3)
G- Trish Georgiou
D- Mia Gloria
D- Olivia Ehlers
D- Paige Hogberg
D- Emma Paraskos
M- Kylie Mahoney
M- Samathan Pullins
M- Katelyn Crowson
F- Addison Stanciak
F- Reese Mertens
F- Ella Skelton
Fremd (4-3-3)
G- Sam Gary
D- Maddie McMillan
D- Gemma Gillespie
D- Bella Scesniak
D- Shannon Moran
M- Anna Schmitt
M- Kaitlyn Roti
M- Kylie Williams
F- Sammie Findysz
F- Ania Ciborowski
F- Lily Spotak
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Kaitlyn Roti, jr., MF, Fremd
Anna Schmitt, sr., MF, Fremd
Referee: Jay Weis
Scoring summary
First half
Warren: Stanciak (Gaertig) 16'
Second half
Fremd: Williams (GIllespie, Spotak) 75'
First overtime
No scoring
Second overtime
No scoring
Shootout
Warren: Georgiou (over); Crowson (goal); Stanciak (over); Mahoney (goal); Paraskos (goal); Ehlers (goal); Gaertig (save); Hogberg (wide)
Fremd: Gillespie (goal); Scesniak (save); Schmitt (goal); Moran (save); Findysz (goal); Spotak (goal); Varon (save); Rodi (goal)
Statistics
Shots on
Warren: 4
Fremd: 5
Shots off
Warren: 5
Fremd: 3
Fouls
Warren: 14
Fremd: 16
Corner kicks
Warren: 3
Fremd: 1
Offsides
Warren: 3
Fremd: 3