WWS continues upset streak
Miller, Aalbue, Anderson put 10-seeded Tigers in Army final
By Mike Garofola
WHEATON -- Wheaton Warrenville South slayed several dragons in the past week.
The Tigers now look to ascend to the official title of giant killers should they defeat third-ranked and top-seeded St. Charles North in the final of the Army Bracket, the top 16-team grouping in the PepsiCo Showdown. The game will take place April 22 at a time and site to be determined.
On Thursday, Guy Callipari's 23rd-ranked and 10th-seeded club sent off fifth-ranked and sixth-seeded Wauconda at Red Grange Field.
Wheaton Warrenville South was rewarded for a terrific opening 40 minutes with the all-important first goal, scored in the first quarter hour. A late insurance goal sealed the Tigers fourth-straight win, a 2-0 win against a talented, young Wauconda squad.
"There are four of us who were on the 2016 team that won our Pepsi championship bracket," said junior Allie Anderson. "So it's great that we're back in again and going after a title in the top bracket of the tournament."
Anderson and teammates, Abbie Brennan, Maria Dohse and Paige Miller were all on the 2016 club that defeated Glenbard West 1-0 to lift the ATI Bracket trophy two years ago on the main campus of Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
The Pepsi crown was part of an eventual 14-7-3 overall record that gave hope to what Callipari and his staff figured could be an even more successful season the following year.
"You never know what's going to happen year-to-year," Callipari began.
"We had a nice core coming back after 2016, and we finished one game under .500. I wasn't sure what we had this year, even though we had most of our players back.
"So it's safe to say that I am pleasantly surprised with how the team has performed thus far, and with the way they have improved with each game."
This semifinal began under glorious sunshine at the Tigers home park. Prior to the game the two managers brought their clubs together in the middle of the field for a great photo alongside the Tigers banners and the game ball (the photo can be seen on the Wheaton Warrenville South team page).
Wauconda knew it had a tough assignment in the matchup, and the venue certainly didn't help.
"We would have liked to host as the higher seed, but I understand the tournament protocol of each team hosting (at least) one game," said manager Beau Shogren, now in his third year in charge. "So for us, we used the long trip from Wauconda to play a quality 3A opponent as a way of preparing us for the final weeks of the season, when we get into the playoffs."
The Bulldogs, who a year ago lost to Prairie Ridge in its sectional final, played without top player Kayla Wisniewski in this contest, but Shogren, already 39-5-4 in his first two seasons, didn't use the absence of Wisniewski as an excuse.
"Kayla has a hamstring injury she's dealing with and would have obviously liked to have played," he said. "But there wasn't any point of jeopardizing her season. So (it was) common sense to keep her out of action for this one and just lean on a couple of other players who we knew would do well in her place."
Early in the match, Shogren's club could do little to stop a rampant Tigers run which put the visiting Bulldogs under pressure from the onset.
"That was easily the best attacking team we've faced this season," said Shogren. "They played quick combinations, and they were so fast up-top and in their midfield, and we could do almost nothing in that first half against them but defend."
The Wheaton Warrenville South build-up was terrific with Miller, Morgan Schwerin, Anderson and Jennifer (J.J.) Aalbue exchanging passes as the home side surged in the Bulldogs end at will until Miller bagged the first goal of the day.
"We took advantage of a nice level of play with our attack to get that first goal and to create several other opportunities for ourselves," said Callipari. "On the flip side, we've got to finish on those chances to make it a little easier on ourselves."
The pace of Miller and Schwerin was much too much for Wauconda to handle during the first quarter hour, but so too was the high work rate of Anderson and Aalbue, who, stationed themselves in front of the Tigers backline and made life miserable for the visitors in many different ways.
"Today we asked Allie and J.J. to tackle, win balls and distribute from their spots as our defensive mids,"," said a thrilled Callapari. "Those two jumped into our attack all afternoon and really helped create chances for the rest of the team, and themselves on occasion."
"That's what we tried to do in this game," said Aalbue.
The sophomore, who recorded a helper on the Miller goal, received Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for her play.
"Allie and I did our best to control the midfield for our team and to try to get the ball to Paige and Morgan, who are so good up-top for us," Aalbue said.
"Our team did really well connecting, playing wide and creating space for each other, and that's what we did best for most of this game."
Aalbue's win near the midfield line allowed the the sophomore to look to the left side and pick out Schwerin, who pried open the Bulldogs inside the box and created a clear chance for Miller, who easily steered in her close-range attempt at the back post.
The Tigers (6-1-0) then went about adding to their advantage with non-stop, one-way traffic for the next 20 minutes.
Evelyn Demshers' strike was blocked inside the box before Miller tricked her way free of her mark before just missing with her blasted upper 90 attempt in the 23rd minute.
Audrey Siebert forced Wauconda keeper Jill Rejczyk into action in the 29th minute, before Miller left two defenders behind her in a race up the right side and unleashed a wicked blast that rattled the post before spilling free into the box.
Wauconda's alert Savannah Johnson parried the ball out of harm's way for a corner.
The Tigers onslaught continued when Aalbue, in full gallop, sent Demsher through, but the junior's try went wide.
During the Tigers' 20-minute romp, Wauconda showed its fight with several opportunities.
Sarah Rizzo put a lovely ball over the top to Megan Sinnott, which nearly led to the junior getting in on the Tigers keeper Brennan. Later, Sinnott was at it again when she turned around her mark before going wide from 18 yards.
"Despite chasing the game for the entire first half, we were still in the game at 1-0 at the break, so that said a lot about the girls and with the way they persevered against such a terrific team like Guy's," said Shogren.
Wauconda kept some momentum following the intermission as the wind began to increase and the temperature dropped. Again it was Sinnott who was at the center of the Bulldogs uprising.
If not for a sharp tackle by Dohse, Sinnott would have gone endline four minutes into the second period. Later, a 35-yard free kick that left the foot of Rosalie Wisniewski looked like trouble until it veered over the bar.
"Wauconda is a very good looking double A team, and they gave us some trouble in that first half, but we finish our first half chances, then we have a little bit of breathing room the rest of the way," said Callipari.
The 10 minute or so fight back from the Bulldogs slowly came to an end, and the Tigers got back on their front feet, and spaces began to open up.
Claire Kiple went close, as did Miller twice. Her second shot was stopped with a superb save from Rejczyk. The stop produced a corner that Anderson initiated and put a well-placed ball to the back post.
From there Dohse, with her body positioned perfectly, thumped in a header to double the advantage to take the wind of the Wauconda's sails.
"Our legs were beginning to give out, and Wheaton still had their legs, and it was basically over for us at that point," said Shogren.
When the final horn sounded, the 10th-seeded Tigers had added to an impressive list of tournament wins. In reverse chronology, they sent home no. 6 Wauconda, no. 2 Metea Valley and no. 7 Maine South.
The biggest seed awaits.
"There's a lot of great chemistry on the team this year, so we all believe we have a chance against St. Charles North," said Aalbue.
Added Anderson: "We all have a lot of respect for St. Charles, so we know we'll have to be at our best when we play them."
The North Stars (8-0-1) have outscored their three PepsiCo opponents 14-2 in their march to the title match. Wheaton Warrenville South's defense has been just as stingy -- the Tigers have outscored their tournament foes 8-2.
"St. Charles has all the pieces in place and has shown to be the true no. 1 team in our bracket," said Callapari.
"They have some terrific players up-top, who are quite capable of taking advantage of mistakes in the defensive end, so we'll have to be at our best on that day.
"It should be fun, and a great experience for the players to be a part of."
Starting lineups
Wauconda (4-4-2)
GK- Jill Rejczyk
D- Olivia Kuch
D- Sarah Rizzo
D- Annalyse Maze
D- Madelyn Thompson
M- Kayla Llewellyn
M- Savannah Johnson
M- Rachel DeNovo
M- Abigail McHugh
F- Megan Sinnott
F- Morgan Lung
Wheaton-Warrenville South (4-2-3-1)
GK- Abbie Brennan
D- Claire Kiple
D- Maria Dohse
D- Melisa Hadzic
D- Sam Buol
DM- Jennifer Aalbue
DM- Allie Anderson
M- Morgan Schwerin
M- Everlyn Demsher
M- Molly Fank
F- Paige Miller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jennifer Aalbue, so., MF, Wheaton Warrenville South
Referee: Bruce Bode
Scoring
Wheaton Warrenville South
Miller (Schwerin, Aalbue) 14'
Dohse (Anderson) 65'
Yellow cards
WWS -- Schwerin (dissent) 46'
Miller, Aalbue, Anderson put 10-seeded Tigers in Army final
By Mike Garofola
WHEATON -- Wheaton Warrenville South slayed several dragons in the past week.
The Tigers now look to ascend to the official title of giant killers should they defeat third-ranked and top-seeded St. Charles North in the final of the Army Bracket, the top 16-team grouping in the PepsiCo Showdown. The game will take place April 22 at a time and site to be determined.
On Thursday, Guy Callipari's 23rd-ranked and 10th-seeded club sent off fifth-ranked and sixth-seeded Wauconda at Red Grange Field.
Wheaton Warrenville South was rewarded for a terrific opening 40 minutes with the all-important first goal, scored in the first quarter hour. A late insurance goal sealed the Tigers fourth-straight win, a 2-0 win against a talented, young Wauconda squad.
"There are four of us who were on the 2016 team that won our Pepsi championship bracket," said junior Allie Anderson. "So it's great that we're back in again and going after a title in the top bracket of the tournament."
Anderson and teammates, Abbie Brennan, Maria Dohse and Paige Miller were all on the 2016 club that defeated Glenbard West 1-0 to lift the ATI Bracket trophy two years ago on the main campus of Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
The Pepsi crown was part of an eventual 14-7-3 overall record that gave hope to what Callipari and his staff figured could be an even more successful season the following year.
"You never know what's going to happen year-to-year," Callipari began.
"We had a nice core coming back after 2016, and we finished one game under .500. I wasn't sure what we had this year, even though we had most of our players back.
"So it's safe to say that I am pleasantly surprised with how the team has performed thus far, and with the way they have improved with each game."
This semifinal began under glorious sunshine at the Tigers home park. Prior to the game the two managers brought their clubs together in the middle of the field for a great photo alongside the Tigers banners and the game ball (the photo can be seen on the Wheaton Warrenville South team page).
Wauconda knew it had a tough assignment in the matchup, and the venue certainly didn't help.
"We would have liked to host as the higher seed, but I understand the tournament protocol of each team hosting (at least) one game," said manager Beau Shogren, now in his third year in charge. "So for us, we used the long trip from Wauconda to play a quality 3A opponent as a way of preparing us for the final weeks of the season, when we get into the playoffs."
The Bulldogs, who a year ago lost to Prairie Ridge in its sectional final, played without top player Kayla Wisniewski in this contest, but Shogren, already 39-5-4 in his first two seasons, didn't use the absence of Wisniewski as an excuse.
"Kayla has a hamstring injury she's dealing with and would have obviously liked to have played," he said. "But there wasn't any point of jeopardizing her season. So (it was) common sense to keep her out of action for this one and just lean on a couple of other players who we knew would do well in her place."
Early in the match, Shogren's club could do little to stop a rampant Tigers run which put the visiting Bulldogs under pressure from the onset.
"That was easily the best attacking team we've faced this season," said Shogren. "They played quick combinations, and they were so fast up-top and in their midfield, and we could do almost nothing in that first half against them but defend."
The Wheaton Warrenville South build-up was terrific with Miller, Morgan Schwerin, Anderson and Jennifer (J.J.) Aalbue exchanging passes as the home side surged in the Bulldogs end at will until Miller bagged the first goal of the day.
"We took advantage of a nice level of play with our attack to get that first goal and to create several other opportunities for ourselves," said Callipari. "On the flip side, we've got to finish on those chances to make it a little easier on ourselves."
The pace of Miller and Schwerin was much too much for Wauconda to handle during the first quarter hour, but so too was the high work rate of Anderson and Aalbue, who, stationed themselves in front of the Tigers backline and made life miserable for the visitors in many different ways.
"Today we asked Allie and J.J. to tackle, win balls and distribute from their spots as our defensive mids,"," said a thrilled Callapari. "Those two jumped into our attack all afternoon and really helped create chances for the rest of the team, and themselves on occasion."
"That's what we tried to do in this game," said Aalbue.
The sophomore, who recorded a helper on the Miller goal, received Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors for her play.
"Allie and I did our best to control the midfield for our team and to try to get the ball to Paige and Morgan, who are so good up-top for us," Aalbue said.
"Our team did really well connecting, playing wide and creating space for each other, and that's what we did best for most of this game."
Aalbue's win near the midfield line allowed the the sophomore to look to the left side and pick out Schwerin, who pried open the Bulldogs inside the box and created a clear chance for Miller, who easily steered in her close-range attempt at the back post.
The Tigers (6-1-0) then went about adding to their advantage with non-stop, one-way traffic for the next 20 minutes.
Evelyn Demshers' strike was blocked inside the box before Miller tricked her way free of her mark before just missing with her blasted upper 90 attempt in the 23rd minute.
Audrey Siebert forced Wauconda keeper Jill Rejczyk into action in the 29th minute, before Miller left two defenders behind her in a race up the right side and unleashed a wicked blast that rattled the post before spilling free into the box.
Wauconda's alert Savannah Johnson parried the ball out of harm's way for a corner.
The Tigers onslaught continued when Aalbue, in full gallop, sent Demsher through, but the junior's try went wide.
During the Tigers' 20-minute romp, Wauconda showed its fight with several opportunities.
Sarah Rizzo put a lovely ball over the top to Megan Sinnott, which nearly led to the junior getting in on the Tigers keeper Brennan. Later, Sinnott was at it again when she turned around her mark before going wide from 18 yards.
"Despite chasing the game for the entire first half, we were still in the game at 1-0 at the break, so that said a lot about the girls and with the way they persevered against such a terrific team like Guy's," said Shogren.
Wauconda kept some momentum following the intermission as the wind began to increase and the temperature dropped. Again it was Sinnott who was at the center of the Bulldogs uprising.
If not for a sharp tackle by Dohse, Sinnott would have gone endline four minutes into the second period. Later, a 35-yard free kick that left the foot of Rosalie Wisniewski looked like trouble until it veered over the bar.
"Wauconda is a very good looking double A team, and they gave us some trouble in that first half, but we finish our first half chances, then we have a little bit of breathing room the rest of the way," said Callipari.
The 10 minute or so fight back from the Bulldogs slowly came to an end, and the Tigers got back on their front feet, and spaces began to open up.
Claire Kiple went close, as did Miller twice. Her second shot was stopped with a superb save from Rejczyk. The stop produced a corner that Anderson initiated and put a well-placed ball to the back post.
From there Dohse, with her body positioned perfectly, thumped in a header to double the advantage to take the wind of the Wauconda's sails.
"Our legs were beginning to give out, and Wheaton still had their legs, and it was basically over for us at that point," said Shogren.
When the final horn sounded, the 10th-seeded Tigers had added to an impressive list of tournament wins. In reverse chronology, they sent home no. 6 Wauconda, no. 2 Metea Valley and no. 7 Maine South.
The biggest seed awaits.
"There's a lot of great chemistry on the team this year, so we all believe we have a chance against St. Charles North," said Aalbue.
Added Anderson: "We all have a lot of respect for St. Charles, so we know we'll have to be at our best when we play them."
The North Stars (8-0-1) have outscored their three PepsiCo opponents 14-2 in their march to the title match. Wheaton Warrenville South's defense has been just as stingy -- the Tigers have outscored their tournament foes 8-2.
"St. Charles has all the pieces in place and has shown to be the true no. 1 team in our bracket," said Callapari.
"They have some terrific players up-top, who are quite capable of taking advantage of mistakes in the defensive end, so we'll have to be at our best on that day.
"It should be fun, and a great experience for the players to be a part of."
Starting lineups
Wauconda (4-4-2)
GK- Jill Rejczyk
D- Olivia Kuch
D- Sarah Rizzo
D- Annalyse Maze
D- Madelyn Thompson
M- Kayla Llewellyn
M- Savannah Johnson
M- Rachel DeNovo
M- Abigail McHugh
F- Megan Sinnott
F- Morgan Lung
Wheaton-Warrenville South (4-2-3-1)
GK- Abbie Brennan
D- Claire Kiple
D- Maria Dohse
D- Melisa Hadzic
D- Sam Buol
DM- Jennifer Aalbue
DM- Allie Anderson
M- Morgan Schwerin
M- Everlyn Demsher
M- Molly Fank
F- Paige Miller
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jennifer Aalbue, so., MF, Wheaton Warrenville South
Referee: Bruce Bode
Scoring
Wheaton Warrenville South
Miller (Schwerin, Aalbue) 14'
Dohse (Anderson) 65'
Yellow cards
WWS -- Schwerin (dissent) 46'