North Suburban powerhouses
Libertyville, Warren put on a show
Pullins late-game heroics for Warren deliver 3-3 deadlock
By Mike Garofola
LIBERTYVILLE -- The showpiece event on Thursday night in the North Suburban Conference was contested at the Walter R. Thompson Sports Complex.
A near-perfect start to the second half for Libertyville (11-2-2, 5-0-1) was neutralized in the six-goal thriller when Warren (9-3-4, 4-0-2) completed a two-goal comeback. Samantha Pullins’ second of the half 10 minutes from time evened the match 3-3 on a wonderful night for soccer.
The result sent the hosts into Monday's league finale at Stevenson (13-1-1, 5-0-1) knowing they can lift the league trophy with a win. Another draw means a share of the league crown for a second-consecutive season.
"I think the entire team played well today," began Wildcats manager Daniel DePaz. “We got back to playing team soccer, and you could see many times throughout the night our players working together and working for each other. That is how Libertyville plays soccer.
"Give credit to Warren. They never quit, capitalized on a few mistakes and continued working to put pressure on us."
"This was a proper soccer game," said Warren manager Ryan McCabe, whose club will finish up league play on Monday with Lake Forest, before a nonconference affair with Class AA power Deerfield ends the regular-season.
“The fans were great. The energy on both sides was nonstop, and there is so much respect between these two clubs. It was a great game for the NSC, and high school soccer. I could not have been more proud of our team.
"Libertyville is such a talented team. Their attacking players are fast, dynamic. They showed great pace and a knack for knowing where each other is at all of the time.”
This was a game that lived up to the hype.
"With so many of us knowing each other from club, and with what this game meant to both teams in the conference, I was not surprised at how hard each team fought for the result that came at the end," said Blue Devils senior Pullins, who stunned the big crown with her late goals. She shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with Wildcats senior Dakota Lyons; each turned in some wonderful futbol on the night.
"The first half was played at such an incredible pace,” Pullins said. “After we scored first really early, the game began to level off before (Libertyville) began to take more control of the game. But we have a great backline, great keeper with Trish (Georgiou) and a lot of heart. That helped us go into the break at 1-1."
A truly magnificent solo effort from Ella Skelton in the fifth minute led to the opener. The senior collected a loose ball from outside of the box, then attacked with speed. She turned around her challenger to set up a brilliant clinical finish to beat Wildcats keeper Kate Hopma, who had little chance in the 1-v-1 situation.
Next, Pullins, Skelton, and Reese Mertens provided the build-up before freshman Addison Stanciak’s header went just wide moments after the Blue Devils opener.
Skelton showed another gear coming out of a diagonal run on an early ball out of the back, but the Wildcats’ backline dashed the hope of another opportunity.
Libertyville freshman Sydney Dulak made an immediate impression in her team’s attack after DePaz brought her on in the ninth minute. She made two Blue Devils miss before playing outside to Lyons, whose looping effort aimed at the back post was hauled in by Georgiou.
"Our team has a lot of speed, and it's something that I feel is one of my strengths as a player,” said Lyons. “So, when the chance is there, I like to drive up the outside and either send balls into the mix or cut back in and try to get a shot."
Lyons has speed on her resume. She finished fifth in the Class 3A state meet 400 meters final last spring, one week after claiming a sectional title.
"We had a little bit of a slow start after conceding the first goal tonight, but we came back and played like we're capable of playing,” she said. “We got back even and had some very good chances afterward, but Warren is a great team with a lot of players we've all played club with. It was just a great overall game,"
Lyons will play next fall at Ohio State and eyes a career in medicine.
While the home side began to claim more of the possession, Warren’s quartet of Mertens, Pullins, Skelton and Stanciak continued to create with help from teammates Katelyn Crowson and Kylie Mahoney, who won their share of balls in the middle and quickly found the foursome.
Blue Devils defender Emma Paraskos sensed trouble and slid over to block a shot on the way in from Lyons at the quarter hour. Soon after, Lyons was at it again. She got free with a nifty left-right-left move before her 22-yard effort was deflected out after a save at the near post by Georgiou.
The ensuing corner off the foot of Jenna Krakowski led to a save on an Avery Gleason attempt. The rebound spilled free and up stepped an alert Sydney Dulak, who steered her return shot away from Georgiou and into the net in the 18th minute.
To the surprise of none, the score inspired the home side. Libertyville used the energy from the equalizer to go in search of another to add to the score line.
"(They) began to throw more numbers forward and attack from the outside after their goal, but I have a great backline in front of me," said Georgiou. “I was confident we could keep them out of our net.”
With Krakowski targeting Lyons on the left and senior twins Avery and Paige Gleason on the other side of the pitch, a handful of chances fell to the home side. Each of the trio had a chance to dent the back of the net as the Wildcats attack came alive.
When it appeared another Libertyville goal would arrive soon, the play quickly swung to the other end. Pullins brought down a lovely serve just outside the spot from Liv Ehlers and calmly fired in what appeared to be the Blue Devils second goal.
Unfortunately, the assistant referee on the far touchline had raised his flag to signal that Ehlers was partially out of bounds when she made the service.
The score rested at 1-1 at the intermission.
"It was a great first half of soccer,” said Lyons. “It was played at such a fast pace. I really felt we went into the break with more of the play and momentum."
The second half had a lukewarm start; it looked as if both sides were measuring the other up with chessboard-like moves.
Mertens went wide after a nice one-two combination with Stanciak for Warren on the first half-chance on frame in the 46th minute. That was followed shortly thereafter by an effort on frame by Skelton that created a rebound that Riley Brennan parried out of the area.
Lyons put Libertyville back in the picture when she unloaded a left-footed guided missile that forced Georgiou to make an outstanding save in the 51st minute. Moments later, Avery Gleason may have had a clear look at Georgiou if not wrong-footed when running onto a ball played in by Lyons.
Avery Gleason then became the heart of the Wildcats offense. The Chicagoland Soccer all-stater saved the ball at the endline before playing the ball across to Paige Gleason, whose angled 56th-minute blast nestled into the far-inside netting.
Warren nearly responded moments later. If not for a valiant block from Brennan on a close-range Skelton attempt, the contest would have been level once again.
Avery Gleason picked out her sister once again to drive what could have been the dagger into the hearts of the Blue Devils. Paige Gleason steered in her second inside an open back post as the clock struck the hour.
"When they doubled the score, I think all of us began to hang our heads,” Pullins said. “But I think Trish would agree, some of us just figured what do we have to lose at this point? Let's just go after them and see what we can do."
Then Pullins turned the game on its head. The Purdue-bound midfielder took advantage of some confusion along the back, seized the moment and pulled her club back into the game in the 67th minute.
"Sam's first goal to make it 3-2 was big for us,” said McCabe. “It looked as if it took something out of Libertyville, while giving us new life."
"Sam's goal was huge for us," added Georgiou, who will play next fall at UIC. “I could feel the energy was back with us.”
"That goal from no. 21 (Pullins) that made it 3-2 definitely changed the momentum of the game," said DePaz. “(They) capitalized on an error we made, and from that point our team was kind of put back on our heels.
"After that, we also committed a few fouls near the midfield that did not help our cause. A number of free kicks from those fouls pinned us back."
With its confidence now brimming, Warren turned up the heat on the Wildcats. Pressure applied from Maya Martinek, Mia Gloria, and Crowson did not allow the home side to clear the ball out of its own end.
Gloria, a sophomore, used a superb one-touch on a ball to send it back into the box. The opportunistic Pullins beat the defense to the serve and beat Hopma, who once again had no chance to deny the shot.
"Last year we lost (2-0) to Libertyville. So, to see us fight so hard to stay in this game, come back to earn the draw says so much about our team," said a proud Pullins.
"We were in a lot of trouble," said McCabe. “But one of the great things about this team is how resilient they are, and they collectively showed that resiliency tonight.
"I am so happy for Sam (Pullins) who found the back of the net when we needed it most. It's a tribute to the work-rate she has shown all season.”
Warren had more than a few heroes to highlight.
"Trish continues to get stronger with each game, and after coming off of an injury, she has worked so hard to get to where she is at now,” McCabe continued.
"Liv (Ehlers) had a great game in the back. Ella Skelton was one of our heroes, (Emma) Paraskos battled no. 13 (Dakota Lyons), who is clearly one of the best attacking players we've seen all year, all night long.
“And Kylie (Mahoney) is just about fit and healthy, and she really asserted herself in the second half for us when we really needed her."
s
Libertyville’s focus is now on the next task at hand.
"We made a few mistakes that we'll sort out and correct, but we'll be ready to go for sure on Monday when we play Stevenson," said Lyons.
Starting lineups
Warren (4-4-2)
G- Trish Georgiou
D- Mia Gloria
D- Liv Ehlers
D- Paige Hogberg
D- Emma Paraskos
M- Reese Mertens
M- Kylie Mahoney
M- Samantha Pullins
M- Katelyn Crowson
F- Ella Skelton
F- Addison Stanciak
Libertyville (4-4-2)
G- Kate Hopma
D- Audrey Brua
D- Riley Brennan
D- Pru Babat
D- Stella Bechtold
M- Sally Grace Rogers
M- Dakota Lyons
M- Abby Gordon
M-Jenna Krakowski
F- Paige Gleason
F- Avery Gleason
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Samantha Pullins, sr., MF, Warren;
Dakota Lyons, sr., MF, Libertyville
Referee: Milton Carranza
Scoring summary
First half
Warren: Skelton (U/A) 5'
Libertyville: Dulak (A. Gleason) 18'
Second half
Libertyville: P. Gleason (A. Gleason) 56'
Libertyville: P. Gleason (A. Gleason) 60'
Warren: Pullins (Gaertig) 67’
Warren: Pullins (Gloria) 70'
Statistics
Shot on frame
Warren: 7
Libertyville: 9
Shot off frame
Warren: 6
Libertyville: 5
Fouls
Warren: 5
Libertyville: 14
Corner kicks
Warren: 3
Libertyville: 1
Offsides
Warren: 4
Libertyville: 2
Libertyville, Warren put on a show
Pullins late-game heroics for Warren deliver 3-3 deadlock
By Mike Garofola
LIBERTYVILLE -- The showpiece event on Thursday night in the North Suburban Conference was contested at the Walter R. Thompson Sports Complex.
A near-perfect start to the second half for Libertyville (11-2-2, 5-0-1) was neutralized in the six-goal thriller when Warren (9-3-4, 4-0-2) completed a two-goal comeback. Samantha Pullins’ second of the half 10 minutes from time evened the match 3-3 on a wonderful night for soccer.
The result sent the hosts into Monday's league finale at Stevenson (13-1-1, 5-0-1) knowing they can lift the league trophy with a win. Another draw means a share of the league crown for a second-consecutive season.
"I think the entire team played well today," began Wildcats manager Daniel DePaz. “We got back to playing team soccer, and you could see many times throughout the night our players working together and working for each other. That is how Libertyville plays soccer.
"Give credit to Warren. They never quit, capitalized on a few mistakes and continued working to put pressure on us."
"This was a proper soccer game," said Warren manager Ryan McCabe, whose club will finish up league play on Monday with Lake Forest, before a nonconference affair with Class AA power Deerfield ends the regular-season.
“The fans were great. The energy on both sides was nonstop, and there is so much respect between these two clubs. It was a great game for the NSC, and high school soccer. I could not have been more proud of our team.
"Libertyville is such a talented team. Their attacking players are fast, dynamic. They showed great pace and a knack for knowing where each other is at all of the time.”
This was a game that lived up to the hype.
"With so many of us knowing each other from club, and with what this game meant to both teams in the conference, I was not surprised at how hard each team fought for the result that came at the end," said Blue Devils senior Pullins, who stunned the big crown with her late goals. She shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with Wildcats senior Dakota Lyons; each turned in some wonderful futbol on the night.
"The first half was played at such an incredible pace,” Pullins said. “After we scored first really early, the game began to level off before (Libertyville) began to take more control of the game. But we have a great backline, great keeper with Trish (Georgiou) and a lot of heart. That helped us go into the break at 1-1."
A truly magnificent solo effort from Ella Skelton in the fifth minute led to the opener. The senior collected a loose ball from outside of the box, then attacked with speed. She turned around her challenger to set up a brilliant clinical finish to beat Wildcats keeper Kate Hopma, who had little chance in the 1-v-1 situation.
Next, Pullins, Skelton, and Reese Mertens provided the build-up before freshman Addison Stanciak’s header went just wide moments after the Blue Devils opener.
Skelton showed another gear coming out of a diagonal run on an early ball out of the back, but the Wildcats’ backline dashed the hope of another opportunity.
Libertyville freshman Sydney Dulak made an immediate impression in her team’s attack after DePaz brought her on in the ninth minute. She made two Blue Devils miss before playing outside to Lyons, whose looping effort aimed at the back post was hauled in by Georgiou.
"Our team has a lot of speed, and it's something that I feel is one of my strengths as a player,” said Lyons. “So, when the chance is there, I like to drive up the outside and either send balls into the mix or cut back in and try to get a shot."
Lyons has speed on her resume. She finished fifth in the Class 3A state meet 400 meters final last spring, one week after claiming a sectional title.
"We had a little bit of a slow start after conceding the first goal tonight, but we came back and played like we're capable of playing,” she said. “We got back even and had some very good chances afterward, but Warren is a great team with a lot of players we've all played club with. It was just a great overall game,"
Lyons will play next fall at Ohio State and eyes a career in medicine.
While the home side began to claim more of the possession, Warren’s quartet of Mertens, Pullins, Skelton and Stanciak continued to create with help from teammates Katelyn Crowson and Kylie Mahoney, who won their share of balls in the middle and quickly found the foursome.
Blue Devils defender Emma Paraskos sensed trouble and slid over to block a shot on the way in from Lyons at the quarter hour. Soon after, Lyons was at it again. She got free with a nifty left-right-left move before her 22-yard effort was deflected out after a save at the near post by Georgiou.
The ensuing corner off the foot of Jenna Krakowski led to a save on an Avery Gleason attempt. The rebound spilled free and up stepped an alert Sydney Dulak, who steered her return shot away from Georgiou and into the net in the 18th minute.
To the surprise of none, the score inspired the home side. Libertyville used the energy from the equalizer to go in search of another to add to the score line.
"(They) began to throw more numbers forward and attack from the outside after their goal, but I have a great backline in front of me," said Georgiou. “I was confident we could keep them out of our net.”
With Krakowski targeting Lyons on the left and senior twins Avery and Paige Gleason on the other side of the pitch, a handful of chances fell to the home side. Each of the trio had a chance to dent the back of the net as the Wildcats attack came alive.
When it appeared another Libertyville goal would arrive soon, the play quickly swung to the other end. Pullins brought down a lovely serve just outside the spot from Liv Ehlers and calmly fired in what appeared to be the Blue Devils second goal.
Unfortunately, the assistant referee on the far touchline had raised his flag to signal that Ehlers was partially out of bounds when she made the service.
The score rested at 1-1 at the intermission.
"It was a great first half of soccer,” said Lyons. “It was played at such a fast pace. I really felt we went into the break with more of the play and momentum."
The second half had a lukewarm start; it looked as if both sides were measuring the other up with chessboard-like moves.
Mertens went wide after a nice one-two combination with Stanciak for Warren on the first half-chance on frame in the 46th minute. That was followed shortly thereafter by an effort on frame by Skelton that created a rebound that Riley Brennan parried out of the area.
Lyons put Libertyville back in the picture when she unloaded a left-footed guided missile that forced Georgiou to make an outstanding save in the 51st minute. Moments later, Avery Gleason may have had a clear look at Georgiou if not wrong-footed when running onto a ball played in by Lyons.
Avery Gleason then became the heart of the Wildcats offense. The Chicagoland Soccer all-stater saved the ball at the endline before playing the ball across to Paige Gleason, whose angled 56th-minute blast nestled into the far-inside netting.
Warren nearly responded moments later. If not for a valiant block from Brennan on a close-range Skelton attempt, the contest would have been level once again.
Avery Gleason picked out her sister once again to drive what could have been the dagger into the hearts of the Blue Devils. Paige Gleason steered in her second inside an open back post as the clock struck the hour.
"When they doubled the score, I think all of us began to hang our heads,” Pullins said. “But I think Trish would agree, some of us just figured what do we have to lose at this point? Let's just go after them and see what we can do."
Then Pullins turned the game on its head. The Purdue-bound midfielder took advantage of some confusion along the back, seized the moment and pulled her club back into the game in the 67th minute.
"Sam's first goal to make it 3-2 was big for us,” said McCabe. “It looked as if it took something out of Libertyville, while giving us new life."
"Sam's goal was huge for us," added Georgiou, who will play next fall at UIC. “I could feel the energy was back with us.”
"That goal from no. 21 (Pullins) that made it 3-2 definitely changed the momentum of the game," said DePaz. “(They) capitalized on an error we made, and from that point our team was kind of put back on our heels.
"After that, we also committed a few fouls near the midfield that did not help our cause. A number of free kicks from those fouls pinned us back."
With its confidence now brimming, Warren turned up the heat on the Wildcats. Pressure applied from Maya Martinek, Mia Gloria, and Crowson did not allow the home side to clear the ball out of its own end.
Gloria, a sophomore, used a superb one-touch on a ball to send it back into the box. The opportunistic Pullins beat the defense to the serve and beat Hopma, who once again had no chance to deny the shot.
"Last year we lost (2-0) to Libertyville. So, to see us fight so hard to stay in this game, come back to earn the draw says so much about our team," said a proud Pullins.
"We were in a lot of trouble," said McCabe. “But one of the great things about this team is how resilient they are, and they collectively showed that resiliency tonight.
"I am so happy for Sam (Pullins) who found the back of the net when we needed it most. It's a tribute to the work-rate she has shown all season.”
Warren had more than a few heroes to highlight.
"Trish continues to get stronger with each game, and after coming off of an injury, she has worked so hard to get to where she is at now,” McCabe continued.
"Liv (Ehlers) had a great game in the back. Ella Skelton was one of our heroes, (Emma) Paraskos battled no. 13 (Dakota Lyons), who is clearly one of the best attacking players we've seen all year, all night long.
“And Kylie (Mahoney) is just about fit and healthy, and she really asserted herself in the second half for us when we really needed her."
s
Libertyville’s focus is now on the next task at hand.
"We made a few mistakes that we'll sort out and correct, but we'll be ready to go for sure on Monday when we play Stevenson," said Lyons.
Starting lineups
Warren (4-4-2)
G- Trish Georgiou
D- Mia Gloria
D- Liv Ehlers
D- Paige Hogberg
D- Emma Paraskos
M- Reese Mertens
M- Kylie Mahoney
M- Samantha Pullins
M- Katelyn Crowson
F- Ella Skelton
F- Addison Stanciak
Libertyville (4-4-2)
G- Kate Hopma
D- Audrey Brua
D- Riley Brennan
D- Pru Babat
D- Stella Bechtold
M- Sally Grace Rogers
M- Dakota Lyons
M- Abby Gordon
M-Jenna Krakowski
F- Paige Gleason
F- Avery Gleason
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Samantha Pullins, sr., MF, Warren;
Dakota Lyons, sr., MF, Libertyville
Referee: Milton Carranza
Scoring summary
First half
Warren: Skelton (U/A) 5'
Libertyville: Dulak (A. Gleason) 18'
Second half
Libertyville: P. Gleason (A. Gleason) 56'
Libertyville: P. Gleason (A. Gleason) 60'
Warren: Pullins (Gaertig) 67’
Warren: Pullins (Gloria) 70'
Statistics
Shot on frame
Warren: 7
Libertyville: 9
Shot off frame
Warren: 6
Libertyville: 5
Fouls
Warren: 5
Libertyville: 14
Corner kicks
Warren: 3
Libertyville: 1
Offsides
Warren: 4
Libertyville: 2