Fremd’s Spotak, Schmitt run
wild versus Waukegan
Forwards combine for 7 goals, 4 assists in 10-1 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE -- Lily Spotak and Anna Schmitt have a natural and intuitive rapport on the field that is wholly natural. It’s an example of how best friends can play together.
Everything flows just right -- the connections and the spatial awareness of where the other is in relation to the ball or the goal. On the right night, they’re like dancers playing off each other.
The two senior forwards have something else that binds them -- a special knack for never getting in the other’s way.
“On the field, it’s really fun to play together,” Spotak said. “We always know how we both play and where the other one is going to be.
“It’s really easy to play with Anna up-top.”
The pair sure made it look easy in the Vikings opening game of the postseason.
“It’s the first game of the playoffs, and I think the mentality is there,” Spotak said. “Let’s just keep pushing and attacking.”
The two collaborated on an early goal, and just took from there. Fremd overwhelmed Waukegan on a brisk night where the action flowed overwhelmingly in one direction—toward the Bulldogs goal.
Spotak scored a career-best four goals, and Schmitt contributed a hat-trick in the Vikings’ 10-1 home, Class 3A regional semifinal victory Tuesday night.
Spotak added two assists to her performance, and Schmitt matched it.
Lily Spotak earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her huge day.
The fifth-seeded Vikings (11-6-3) move on to play fourth-seeded Warren on Friday in the regional championship. The Blue Devils defeated Elk Grove 3-0 on two goals by Ella Skelton in the earlier semifinal.
Fremd lost to Warren 1-0 on April 21 in group play of the Naperville Invitational.
Waukegan (9-9-2) had allowed less than two goals per game (39 total) coming into the game. The Bulldogs posted six shutouts behind the strong play of keeper Isabel Escalera and standout defender Fabiola Huerta.
Twelve of those goals came against two opponents in North Suburban play, no. 10 Libertyville and Lake Zurich.
“This game does not reflect who we are as a team,” Waukegan coach Rachel Brennan said. “Time and time again, we’ve heard from officials and from other coaches that this is the best (Waukegan) girls team ever. It’s sad we ended the season like this.
“I don’t think we played how we played throughout the full season. We have really phenomenal players. I can’t pinpoint what happened today. It wasn’t a single person. We weren’t as ready to compete as Fremd was. That’s what it came down to.”
Spotak and Schmitt were unstoppable, unleashing an attack that scored twice in the first seven minutes.
The Vikings led 4-0 just 15 minutes in.
Spotak scored four goals in 18 minutes and left after her 28th-minute score to rest for the Warren rematch Friday.
“I really like taking players one-on-one,” Spotak said. “That’s my favorite thing. I like running on through-balls a lot, and making runs.
“I like taking on players the best.”
Spotak just repeatedly broke down the right edge and got free in space, repeatedly taking advantage of the defensive high-line played by the Bulldogs.
The scoring started in the fourth minute when Spotak got to that edge and made a cross to Schmitt for the opening goal. Fremd was off to the races.
“I think in practice we are working a lot better at learning how to attack through the midfield,” Schmitt said. “We switched formations, and it has started to click more. Lily started scoring a ton, and it just all fell together.
“Our attacking was lacking during the middle of the season. We weren’t scoring. I’m just glad we started to figure it out, and now hopefully it’s just in time.”
The third Vikings’ forward, senior Ania Ciborowski, got into the mix with a quick follow-up score in the seventh minute.
“I feel like our mindset is a huge part of this,” she said. “We got our confidence back up, especially after we had a little drought scoring during the Naperville invite.”
Schmitt returned the favor on Spotak’s electric first goal in the 11th minute. Operating from the right edge, she lofted a ball into he box where Spotak corkscrewed between two defenders for the beautiful header.
Spotak followed with goals in the 15th, 19th and 28 minutes.
All told with Schmitt’s 19th-minute goal from Spotak and Kaitlyn Rodi’s contribution in the 38th minute, Fremd rolled up an 8-0 advantage at halftime.
“Honestly, our practices have been a lot more intense,” Spotak said. “I think something in us switched. We are going to work for it.
“Scoring is fun, and I think we realized that.”
Another factor at play are the girls looking to duplicate the special run of the boys’ team from the fall. Steve Keller coaches both programs. The boys reached the state championship game.
It’s an unfair comparison. Still, the girls dream of loftier days ahead.
“It’s always in the back of our heads, for sure,” Spotak said. “We need to match up to them, or try to. They were amazing. They always talk to us about soccer, and they always ask us all the time.”
Soccer is an attitude, a state of mind. Fremd is showing out at the right time.
“As you go further into the playoffs, I feel like the intensity is going to pick up,” Ciborowski said. “We have to bring it during practice. I feel like whatever we do in practice is going to translate into the games.”
Huerta, a College of Lake County recruit who had several four-year colleges scouting her, showed what the fuss is about, even in the rout. She is quick, strong on the ball and has good size, speed and passing vision.
“It felt good playing with my team for the last time,” she said. “We didn’t finish the way we wanted to, but it was a really good experience.
“I’m going to take the positive things, and I’m going to take the negative things, and try to find the good and the bad.”
Freshman forward Suheil Bugos scored for the Bulldogs off an Ashley Melgoza assist in the 44th minute.
Schmitt had a hand in both of the Vikings’ second half goals. She assisted Bella Scesniak, and then concluded the night by converting a penalty kick.
“Tonight, I was very happy with our offensive output obviously,” Keller said. “Most of the shots were on frame. Some of the kids took some nice finishes.
“Hopefully that translates for them to Friday. We haven’t done that all year. The goals were nice goals. We’re going to have to play a flawless game, and be ready to play.”
Now the focus turns to Warren, which is ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The Blue Devils are a skilled, physical and offensively versatile team.
“The first half against Warren, we kind of slacked,” Spotak said of the team’s first meeting. “Definitely the second half always keeping their midfield marked, and trying to keep balls out of the air, because they have a very solid midfield.
“The last time we didn’t let them score in the second half. We still lost the game, but that second half was one of the best games we’ve played. We were just on, marking them in the middle.
“If we do that from the beginning, we have a really good chance of playing around them.”
Keller echoed his star forward.
“We switched some tactics for that second half, and we tried to put them under pressure,” Keller said.
“It kept the ball in their end for the majority of the half. We’re going to have to eliminate the small mistakes. We’re going to have to do the defensive work, cover for one another, and the work rate has to be great in order for us to have a chance of getting the upset.”
Starting lineups
Waukegan
GK: Isabel Escalera
D: Alexa Serrano
D: Fabiola Huerta
D: Marlene Banales
D: Adamariss Chavez
MF: Jocelyn Rogel
MF: Jessica Melgoza
MF: Ashley Melgoza
MF: Annabel Lopez
F: Genesis Ayala
F: Regina Rosales
Fremd
GK: Sam Gary
D: Bella Scesniak
D: Maddie McMillan
D: Shannon Moran
MF: Kaitlyn Rodi
MF: Hanah Rosen
MF: Gemma Gillespie
MF: Kylie Williams
F: Ania Schmitt
F: Lily Spotak
F: Ania Ciborowski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lily Spotak, sr., F, Fremd
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd—Anna Schmitt (Lily Spotak), fourth minute
Fremd—Ania Siborwoski (Shannon Moran), seventh minute
Fremd—Spotak (Schmitt), 11th minute
Fremd—Spotak (Sam Gary), 15th minute
Fremd—Spotak (unassisted), 19th minute
Fremd—Schmitt (Spotak), 19th minute
Fremd—Spotak (unassisted), 28th minute
Fremd—Kaitlyn Rodi (unassisted), 38th minute
Second half
Waukegan—Suheil Bugos (Ashley Melgoza), 44th minute
Fremd—Bella Scesniak (Schmitt), 45th minute
Fremd—Schmitt (penalty kick), 49th minute
wild versus Waukegan
Forwards combine for 7 goals, 4 assists in 10-1 victory
By Patrick Z. McGavin
PALATINE -- Lily Spotak and Anna Schmitt have a natural and intuitive rapport on the field that is wholly natural. It’s an example of how best friends can play together.
Everything flows just right -- the connections and the spatial awareness of where the other is in relation to the ball or the goal. On the right night, they’re like dancers playing off each other.
The two senior forwards have something else that binds them -- a special knack for never getting in the other’s way.
“On the field, it’s really fun to play together,” Spotak said. “We always know how we both play and where the other one is going to be.
“It’s really easy to play with Anna up-top.”
The pair sure made it look easy in the Vikings opening game of the postseason.
“It’s the first game of the playoffs, and I think the mentality is there,” Spotak said. “Let’s just keep pushing and attacking.”
The two collaborated on an early goal, and just took from there. Fremd overwhelmed Waukegan on a brisk night where the action flowed overwhelmingly in one direction—toward the Bulldogs goal.
Spotak scored a career-best four goals, and Schmitt contributed a hat-trick in the Vikings’ 10-1 home, Class 3A regional semifinal victory Tuesday night.
Spotak added two assists to her performance, and Schmitt matched it.
Lily Spotak earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match for her huge day.
The fifth-seeded Vikings (11-6-3) move on to play fourth-seeded Warren on Friday in the regional championship. The Blue Devils defeated Elk Grove 3-0 on two goals by Ella Skelton in the earlier semifinal.
Fremd lost to Warren 1-0 on April 21 in group play of the Naperville Invitational.
Waukegan (9-9-2) had allowed less than two goals per game (39 total) coming into the game. The Bulldogs posted six shutouts behind the strong play of keeper Isabel Escalera and standout defender Fabiola Huerta.
Twelve of those goals came against two opponents in North Suburban play, no. 10 Libertyville and Lake Zurich.
“This game does not reflect who we are as a team,” Waukegan coach Rachel Brennan said. “Time and time again, we’ve heard from officials and from other coaches that this is the best (Waukegan) girls team ever. It’s sad we ended the season like this.
“I don’t think we played how we played throughout the full season. We have really phenomenal players. I can’t pinpoint what happened today. It wasn’t a single person. We weren’t as ready to compete as Fremd was. That’s what it came down to.”
Spotak and Schmitt were unstoppable, unleashing an attack that scored twice in the first seven minutes.
The Vikings led 4-0 just 15 minutes in.
Spotak scored four goals in 18 minutes and left after her 28th-minute score to rest for the Warren rematch Friday.
“I really like taking players one-on-one,” Spotak said. “That’s my favorite thing. I like running on through-balls a lot, and making runs.
“I like taking on players the best.”
Spotak just repeatedly broke down the right edge and got free in space, repeatedly taking advantage of the defensive high-line played by the Bulldogs.
The scoring started in the fourth minute when Spotak got to that edge and made a cross to Schmitt for the opening goal. Fremd was off to the races.
“I think in practice we are working a lot better at learning how to attack through the midfield,” Schmitt said. “We switched formations, and it has started to click more. Lily started scoring a ton, and it just all fell together.
“Our attacking was lacking during the middle of the season. We weren’t scoring. I’m just glad we started to figure it out, and now hopefully it’s just in time.”
The third Vikings’ forward, senior Ania Ciborowski, got into the mix with a quick follow-up score in the seventh minute.
“I feel like our mindset is a huge part of this,” she said. “We got our confidence back up, especially after we had a little drought scoring during the Naperville invite.”
Schmitt returned the favor on Spotak’s electric first goal in the 11th minute. Operating from the right edge, she lofted a ball into he box where Spotak corkscrewed between two defenders for the beautiful header.
Spotak followed with goals in the 15th, 19th and 28 minutes.
All told with Schmitt’s 19th-minute goal from Spotak and Kaitlyn Rodi’s contribution in the 38th minute, Fremd rolled up an 8-0 advantage at halftime.
“Honestly, our practices have been a lot more intense,” Spotak said. “I think something in us switched. We are going to work for it.
“Scoring is fun, and I think we realized that.”
Another factor at play are the girls looking to duplicate the special run of the boys’ team from the fall. Steve Keller coaches both programs. The boys reached the state championship game.
It’s an unfair comparison. Still, the girls dream of loftier days ahead.
“It’s always in the back of our heads, for sure,” Spotak said. “We need to match up to them, or try to. They were amazing. They always talk to us about soccer, and they always ask us all the time.”
Soccer is an attitude, a state of mind. Fremd is showing out at the right time.
“As you go further into the playoffs, I feel like the intensity is going to pick up,” Ciborowski said. “We have to bring it during practice. I feel like whatever we do in practice is going to translate into the games.”
Huerta, a College of Lake County recruit who had several four-year colleges scouting her, showed what the fuss is about, even in the rout. She is quick, strong on the ball and has good size, speed and passing vision.
“It felt good playing with my team for the last time,” she said. “We didn’t finish the way we wanted to, but it was a really good experience.
“I’m going to take the positive things, and I’m going to take the negative things, and try to find the good and the bad.”
Freshman forward Suheil Bugos scored for the Bulldogs off an Ashley Melgoza assist in the 44th minute.
Schmitt had a hand in both of the Vikings’ second half goals. She assisted Bella Scesniak, and then concluded the night by converting a penalty kick.
“Tonight, I was very happy with our offensive output obviously,” Keller said. “Most of the shots were on frame. Some of the kids took some nice finishes.
“Hopefully that translates for them to Friday. We haven’t done that all year. The goals were nice goals. We’re going to have to play a flawless game, and be ready to play.”
Now the focus turns to Warren, which is ranked 18th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The Blue Devils are a skilled, physical and offensively versatile team.
“The first half against Warren, we kind of slacked,” Spotak said of the team’s first meeting. “Definitely the second half always keeping their midfield marked, and trying to keep balls out of the air, because they have a very solid midfield.
“The last time we didn’t let them score in the second half. We still lost the game, but that second half was one of the best games we’ve played. We were just on, marking them in the middle.
“If we do that from the beginning, we have a really good chance of playing around them.”
Keller echoed his star forward.
“We switched some tactics for that second half, and we tried to put them under pressure,” Keller said.
“It kept the ball in their end for the majority of the half. We’re going to have to eliminate the small mistakes. We’re going to have to do the defensive work, cover for one another, and the work rate has to be great in order for us to have a chance of getting the upset.”
Starting lineups
Waukegan
GK: Isabel Escalera
D: Alexa Serrano
D: Fabiola Huerta
D: Marlene Banales
D: Adamariss Chavez
MF: Jocelyn Rogel
MF: Jessica Melgoza
MF: Ashley Melgoza
MF: Annabel Lopez
F: Genesis Ayala
F: Regina Rosales
Fremd
GK: Sam Gary
D: Bella Scesniak
D: Maddie McMillan
D: Shannon Moran
MF: Kaitlyn Rodi
MF: Hanah Rosen
MF: Gemma Gillespie
MF: Kylie Williams
F: Ania Schmitt
F: Lily Spotak
F: Ania Ciborowski
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Lily Spotak, sr., F, Fremd
Scoring summary
First half
Fremd—Anna Schmitt (Lily Spotak), fourth minute
Fremd—Ania Siborwoski (Shannon Moran), seventh minute
Fremd—Spotak (Schmitt), 11th minute
Fremd—Spotak (Sam Gary), 15th minute
Fremd—Spotak (unassisted), 19th minute
Fremd—Schmitt (Spotak), 19th minute
Fremd—Spotak (unassisted), 28th minute
Fremd—Kaitlyn Rodi (unassisted), 38th minute
Second half
Waukegan—Suheil Bugos (Ashley Melgoza), 44th minute
Fremd—Bella Scesniak (Schmitt), 45th minute
Fremd—Schmitt (penalty kick), 49th minute