Steady Warren takes down Maine West
Midfielders Chomko, Langosch pace Blue Devils
By Ken Keenan
DES PLAINES -- After starting the 2019 campaign at 0-3-1, an improving Warren squad won for the third time in its last four matches with a 2-1 decision over host Maine West in PepsiCo Showdown action Tuesday.
Attention to detail was the theme for the Blue Devils (3-4-1), who held off the Warriors (4-3-0) with a fundamentally sound effort, spearheaded by quick-and-crafty midfielders Courtney Chomko, a senior captain, and sophomore Amber Langosch.
Chomko, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, assisted on Warren's first marker, tallied by sophomore forward Cate Cullison in the 35th minute. But Chomko's main contribution was her ability to serve as a field general, whether weaving in and out of traffic to jumpstart an attack in the midfield, racing ahead to fire at the net or pulling the ball back to the Blue Devils' defenders to maintain possession and regroup.
Langosch mirrored Chomko, ruling her own chunk of real estate with smart decisions and dangerous runs on the flanks to set up scoring chances. Warren junior defender Olivia Wolf, also a team captain, was another standout, joining the attack on occasion while anchoring a defense that shut the door on Maine West for most of the game.
Offensively, the Blue Devils were led by Cullison, junior forward Morgan Liebau, and senior mid/team captain Emma Preda, among others who adhered to the team's calm, possession-style attack.
"We keep possession really well -- we work on that," said Blue Devils head coach Ryan McCabe. "The only thing missing is turning that into points. It was nice to get a couple goals today. We could have had a couple more."
McCabe was most impressed with his team's command of the basics in operating as a cohesive unit.
"The main thing (Tuesday), a lot of girls stepped up in different roles," he said. "They did a nice job understanding where each other was going to be -- rotation, switching fields, communicating well and picking each other up. They understand their role in the system.
"We've been playing well the last couple weeks, and we played well today. We're trending in the right direction."
Cullison opened the scoring when she settled a long ball sent by Chomko on the left side and then unleashed a low, left-footed strike that skipped past Warriors freshman goalkeeper Leslee Ordonez into the far right corner with 15:17 left in the first half.
"It started on the outside," Cullison said. "We've been working on that play all year, and it worked perfectly."
Other Blue Devils opportunities in the opening session included: an in-close try from the right side by Preda after a nice cross by sophomore midfielder Melissa Cote that Ordonez stopped in the 27th minute; a rising floater from junior forward Elizabeth Weinberg following a multi-touch passing sequence which Ordonez leaped to slap away at the crossbar in the 31st minute; and successive attempts in the 35th minute by Chomko and sophomore mid Emily Soriaga, who were both snuffed by the busy Warriors keeper.
"You can tell they're a well-coached, well-disciplined team," Maine West skipper Jeff Bishop said regarding the Blue Devils. "But we did not play our best, and when you play a team of that caliber, you have to be ready. (Warren) outplayed us and deserved the result."
Warren secured that result with its second goal, scored by Preda with 27:45 left in the second half. A well-paced cross by Liebau -- through the box from the right side -- found Preda, who finished with a tap-in from the left.
"That was a back-post run," Preda said. "It's a crossing drill we practice a lot."
Maine West clawed back, cutting the lead to 2-1 with 3:59 to go when freshman mid Claudia Kadzielawa took a throw-in from solid junior forward Dylan VanFleet on the left side and tipped the ball past Warren junior keeper Sarah Barbosa.
VanFleet, along with senior forward Vanessa Reyes, worked hard to create a couple of chances prior to Maine West's lone tally. In the 44th minute, VanFleet missed high and wide from 10 yards on the right side, and Reyes misfired to the right with a left-footed try in the final minute.
For the most part, the pair of forwards -- both members of Maine West's record-setting, undefeated (36-0) state championship girls basketball team this season -- found little space to work with on the attack.
"It was difficult," VanFleet said. "(The Blue Devils) were very good fundamentally ... hard to go one-on-one with them."
Added Reyes: "They had a good offense. Our outside mids had to keep dropping back. It was very difficult for us to set up. But it was only 2-0, and when we finally scored, we thought, 'We got it. We can catch up.'"
Bishop said, "We did play better in the second half. It was nice to see us fight back. We played to the final whistle and didn't give up. It would have been nice to start the way we finished."
In the end, Chomko, Langosch and Co. made sure the Blue Devils finished with the victory.
"They're both very technical players," McCabe said regarding his two ace midfielders. "They see the game well and complement each other well."
Added Preda: "Courtney and Amber (Chomko and Langosch), they can read the game. That allows us to follow their lead. It's simple to play off them."
Chomko is happy to oblige.
"My role as a player and captain is to have us work together -- work off the ball and work as a team," she said. "It's all about mentality ... staying humble and mentally ready, and making it more comfortable for us."
And adding to the win column along the way.
"Early in the season, it was, let's see what we have," Culliton said. "Now, we're improving each game. We're practicing hard, playing hard ... really coming together as a team."
Switching from the basketball court to the pitch after helping the Maine West girls basketball team win a state title, Reyes and VanFleet are hoping a little of that magic rubs off on the Warriors' soccer team this spring.
"It was a great experience," Reyes said. "The chemistry we had, you want to transfer that energy to soccer as well. I would love to win a soccer championship, too."
VanFleet said, "We just want to bring a positive, winning spirit. You should never give up. Keep pushing and fighting, and you can get the best outcome even if the odds are against you."
Starting lineups
Warren
G: Sarah Barbosa
D: Olivia Wolf
D: Annika Attiah
D: Zoe Wagner
D: Maddie Gryzik
M: Courtney Chomko
M: Amber Langosch
M: Emma Preda
M: Emily Soriaga
M: Megan Best
F: Morgan Liebau
Maine West
G: Leslee Ordonez
D: Jeidy Cruz
D: Skylar Kustra
D: Sarah Magnoni
D: Marissa Murillo
M: Melissa Gomez
M: Claudia Kadzielawa
M: Greta Martin
M: Madeline Roppel
F: Vanessa Reyes
F: Dylan VanFleet
Officials: Jim Lifton, Abdel Rahim, Dorin Babolea
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Courtney Chomko, sr., MF, Warren
Scoring summary
First half
Warren: Cate Cullison (assisted by Courtney Chomko) in 25th minute
Second half
Warren: Emma Preda (assisted by Morgan Liebau) in 53rd minute
Maine West: Claudia Kadzielawa (assisted by Dylan VanFleet) in 77th minute
Midfielders Chomko, Langosch pace Blue Devils
By Ken Keenan
DES PLAINES -- After starting the 2019 campaign at 0-3-1, an improving Warren squad won for the third time in its last four matches with a 2-1 decision over host Maine West in PepsiCo Showdown action Tuesday.
Attention to detail was the theme for the Blue Devils (3-4-1), who held off the Warriors (4-3-0) with a fundamentally sound effort, spearheaded by quick-and-crafty midfielders Courtney Chomko, a senior captain, and sophomore Amber Langosch.
Chomko, Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match, assisted on Warren's first marker, tallied by sophomore forward Cate Cullison in the 35th minute. But Chomko's main contribution was her ability to serve as a field general, whether weaving in and out of traffic to jumpstart an attack in the midfield, racing ahead to fire at the net or pulling the ball back to the Blue Devils' defenders to maintain possession and regroup.
Langosch mirrored Chomko, ruling her own chunk of real estate with smart decisions and dangerous runs on the flanks to set up scoring chances. Warren junior defender Olivia Wolf, also a team captain, was another standout, joining the attack on occasion while anchoring a defense that shut the door on Maine West for most of the game.
Offensively, the Blue Devils were led by Cullison, junior forward Morgan Liebau, and senior mid/team captain Emma Preda, among others who adhered to the team's calm, possession-style attack.
"We keep possession really well -- we work on that," said Blue Devils head coach Ryan McCabe. "The only thing missing is turning that into points. It was nice to get a couple goals today. We could have had a couple more."
McCabe was most impressed with his team's command of the basics in operating as a cohesive unit.
"The main thing (Tuesday), a lot of girls stepped up in different roles," he said. "They did a nice job understanding where each other was going to be -- rotation, switching fields, communicating well and picking each other up. They understand their role in the system.
"We've been playing well the last couple weeks, and we played well today. We're trending in the right direction."
Cullison opened the scoring when she settled a long ball sent by Chomko on the left side and then unleashed a low, left-footed strike that skipped past Warriors freshman goalkeeper Leslee Ordonez into the far right corner with 15:17 left in the first half.
"It started on the outside," Cullison said. "We've been working on that play all year, and it worked perfectly."
Other Blue Devils opportunities in the opening session included: an in-close try from the right side by Preda after a nice cross by sophomore midfielder Melissa Cote that Ordonez stopped in the 27th minute; a rising floater from junior forward Elizabeth Weinberg following a multi-touch passing sequence which Ordonez leaped to slap away at the crossbar in the 31st minute; and successive attempts in the 35th minute by Chomko and sophomore mid Emily Soriaga, who were both snuffed by the busy Warriors keeper.
"You can tell they're a well-coached, well-disciplined team," Maine West skipper Jeff Bishop said regarding the Blue Devils. "But we did not play our best, and when you play a team of that caliber, you have to be ready. (Warren) outplayed us and deserved the result."
Warren secured that result with its second goal, scored by Preda with 27:45 left in the second half. A well-paced cross by Liebau -- through the box from the right side -- found Preda, who finished with a tap-in from the left.
"That was a back-post run," Preda said. "It's a crossing drill we practice a lot."
Maine West clawed back, cutting the lead to 2-1 with 3:59 to go when freshman mid Claudia Kadzielawa took a throw-in from solid junior forward Dylan VanFleet on the left side and tipped the ball past Warren junior keeper Sarah Barbosa.
VanFleet, along with senior forward Vanessa Reyes, worked hard to create a couple of chances prior to Maine West's lone tally. In the 44th minute, VanFleet missed high and wide from 10 yards on the right side, and Reyes misfired to the right with a left-footed try in the final minute.
For the most part, the pair of forwards -- both members of Maine West's record-setting, undefeated (36-0) state championship girls basketball team this season -- found little space to work with on the attack.
"It was difficult," VanFleet said. "(The Blue Devils) were very good fundamentally ... hard to go one-on-one with them."
Added Reyes: "They had a good offense. Our outside mids had to keep dropping back. It was very difficult for us to set up. But it was only 2-0, and when we finally scored, we thought, 'We got it. We can catch up.'"
Bishop said, "We did play better in the second half. It was nice to see us fight back. We played to the final whistle and didn't give up. It would have been nice to start the way we finished."
In the end, Chomko, Langosch and Co. made sure the Blue Devils finished with the victory.
"They're both very technical players," McCabe said regarding his two ace midfielders. "They see the game well and complement each other well."
Added Preda: "Courtney and Amber (Chomko and Langosch), they can read the game. That allows us to follow their lead. It's simple to play off them."
Chomko is happy to oblige.
"My role as a player and captain is to have us work together -- work off the ball and work as a team," she said. "It's all about mentality ... staying humble and mentally ready, and making it more comfortable for us."
And adding to the win column along the way.
"Early in the season, it was, let's see what we have," Culliton said. "Now, we're improving each game. We're practicing hard, playing hard ... really coming together as a team."
Switching from the basketball court to the pitch after helping the Maine West girls basketball team win a state title, Reyes and VanFleet are hoping a little of that magic rubs off on the Warriors' soccer team this spring.
"It was a great experience," Reyes said. "The chemistry we had, you want to transfer that energy to soccer as well. I would love to win a soccer championship, too."
VanFleet said, "We just want to bring a positive, winning spirit. You should never give up. Keep pushing and fighting, and you can get the best outcome even if the odds are against you."
Starting lineups
Warren
G: Sarah Barbosa
D: Olivia Wolf
D: Annika Attiah
D: Zoe Wagner
D: Maddie Gryzik
M: Courtney Chomko
M: Amber Langosch
M: Emma Preda
M: Emily Soriaga
M: Megan Best
F: Morgan Liebau
Maine West
G: Leslee Ordonez
D: Jeidy Cruz
D: Skylar Kustra
D: Sarah Magnoni
D: Marissa Murillo
M: Melissa Gomez
M: Claudia Kadzielawa
M: Greta Martin
M: Madeline Roppel
F: Vanessa Reyes
F: Dylan VanFleet
Officials: Jim Lifton, Abdel Rahim, Dorin Babolea
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Courtney Chomko, sr., MF, Warren
Scoring summary
First half
Warren: Cate Cullison (assisted by Courtney Chomko) in 25th minute
Second half
Warren: Emma Preda (assisted by Morgan Liebau) in 53rd minute
Maine West: Claudia Kadzielawa (assisted by Dylan VanFleet) in 77th minute