Wheaton N. flurry finishes W. Chicago
4 goals in 2nd half 3-minute span lead to 6-0 playoff-opening win
By Bill McLean
WHEATON — Squishy soccer balls halted the action for a few minutes in the first half of a Class 3A regional semifinal at Wheaton North on Wednesday night.
The match between the host Falcons and West Chicago was scoreless in the eighth minute when a referee scurried to a spot near a sideline, pierced an inflating needle into several game balls and pumped, pumped, pumped.
There’s no Deflategate in soccer.
Wheaton North, seeded fifth in the Bartlett Sectional, did puncture something — 12th-seeded West Chicago’s playoff hopes. A barrage of goals in the second half led to the Falcons impressive 6-0 victory at Rexilius Field.
The hosts needed only a little more than three minutes to net four of their five second half tallies on a warm night. Exactly 27 seconds separated Wheaton North’s third and fourth goals.
“Cockiness, unfortunately, was the theme of the first half for us,” admitted Falcons senior forward and Purdue Fort Wayne-bound Kayla Shebar, who scored the fourth and fifth goals off assists from sophomore forward Macy Hutchinson.
“Second half,” she added, “was all about confidence for us.”
Hutchinson, who shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with Shebar, finished with a goal and two assists; senior forward Maria Haworth provided a pair of assists; junior reserve back Grace Ryan, junior forward Olivia Moreno and sophomore reserve midfielder Sophia Fadel each scored once; and Maddie Del Alcazar, another sophomore sub, delivered the cross on Fadel’s 25-yard goal in the 66th minute.
The triumph advanced Wheaton North (8-7-2) to a regional final at fourth-seeded Glenbard West on Saturday at 11 a.m. Host GW downed 13th-seeded Lake Park 3-0 in another regional semifinal on Wednesday.
Wheaton North’s win also stopped a three-game losing streak.
“Grace’s PK [late in the first half] gave us the momentum we needed, and we played with positive energy from there,” said Haworth, a Luther College commit. “We needed a win like this because we’d been in a scoring drought.”
The Falcons were shut out in their final two regular-season games (1-0 to Geneva on May 25, and, two days later 2-0 to St. Charles East, ranked no. 1 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25).
West Chicago (2-7-4) and backup goalkeeper, sophomore Daisy Garcia, blanked Wheaton North for the first 35 minutes Wednesday night. The Wildcats looked nothing like the squad that fell 7-0 to Wheaton North in a season opener on April 18, and exuded the mettle of a single-digit seed eager to enjoy a playoff run longer than a one-and-done.
“Unbelievable … we played unbelievably well in the first half,” said West Chicago coach J. Cesar Gomez, whose varsity roster included five freshmen and four sophomores. “But that didn’t surprise me. We played well in our four ties this season.
“We contained no. 3 [Shebar] for a while. But she creates often for them.”
Indeed. The speedy Shebar set the stage for Wheaton North’s first goal by drawing a red-card foul on Garcia in the 36th minute. Garcia (three saves) collided with a fast-breaking Shebar inside the 18.
Minutes after the call, the center referee neared the sideline and told Gomez, “Your goalkeeper wasn’t playing the ball. My assistant saw it the same way.”
Gomez summoned junior Sydney Ostapa, listed as a midfielder, to take over in goal. She donned an orange pinny instead of a traditional keeper top before entering the fray.
Ryan then lined up for the penalty kick. The defender got downright offensive, booting a fairly slow, perfectly placed shot that nearly slid inside the right post.
It was the equivalent of a pitcher’s changeup painting the outside corner of the plate to retire a flummoxed batter.
“One of the gutsiest PKs,” Falcons coach Tim McEvilly said. “Grace was composed and kept it nice and simple, just like she had been doing in practice.”
That was the lone score of the first half.
Wheaton North doubled its advantage in the 53rd minute, thanks to Northern Michigan recruit Moreno one-timing Haworth’s spot-on corner kick past Ostapa (five saves) from about 15 yards.
Nearly a minute later Haworth fed a pass to Hutchinson, who blasted a five-yard goal.
Hutchinson was in a giving mood shortly thereafter, finding an opportunistic Shebar twice in a two-minute span. The activity preceding the second goal in the electric stretch featured Shebar’s dazzling dribbling skills and a hard cut here and a sharper cut there.
Shebar made it look super easy after her breathless trip around Wildcats, tapping a short shot to the southeast corner of the net in the 56th minute.
“She’s like a little lion when she plays soccer, with the way she runs so fast and all over the place,” Ryan said.
But Shebar saved her voice and let the Falcons’ faithful unleash roars from the stands after each goal. From minute 53 to minute 56, Rexilius Field shook four times.
“When they’re rolling,” McEvilly said of his booters, “they’re fun to watch.”
The difference between the first half and the second?
“We strung passes together better,” Hutchinson said. “We were connecting, finally.”
Winning freshman goalkeeper Zoey Bohmer made one save, on a free kick, in the 79th minute.
Footnotes
Wheaton North’s Shebar, who works with a personal trainer, on what makes her a blur in cleats on soccer pitches: “I lift for speed.” … Wheaton North’s midfield corps was nicked up before Wednesday night’s regional semifinal against visiting West Chicago. Falcons midfielders Lauren Nguyen, a sophomore, and Addison Falco, a freshman, suffered injuries against the Wildcats and did not return to action. “The last three, four weeks have been tough on our midfielders,” said McEvilly, who couldn’t deploy senior and future Louisville Cardinal Julia Simon and junior Claudia Kim in the postseason opener. “Addison has been good at organizing our midfield defense and finding our targets. Our subs know they have to be ready, and they’re all contributing. I’m thrilled I was able to get many of my subs playoff experience tonight, after we took a comfortable lead. Every single one of them did something positive out there. [Junior forward] Emma Losey, on the wing, was active and made some plays. And we got that late goal from Sophia [Fadel] off a great cross from Maddie [Del Alcazar]. A lot of players made me proud and happy.” … West Chicago’s consistent threat on offense was sophomore forward Jenna Zeitoun, who caught up to more than a few passes on rushes and pressured WN’s backs. … West Chicago trailed only 1-0 to heavily favored Wheaton North after 40 minutes Wednesday night. You could point to Wildcats senior defender Luciana Balzer as reason no. 1 for WN’s quiet first half. “Probably our best player,” Gomez said.
Starting lineups
West Chicago
GK Daisy Garcia
D Luciana Balzer
D Jenny Espinal
D Lizbeth Orozco
D Isabella Lopez
M Joanna Velazquez
M Melissa Pani
M Natalie Fernandez
M Ruby Lopez
F Jenna Zeitoun
F Heidi Pereckas
Wheaton North
GK Zoey Bohmer
D Addison Henninger
D Ella Kocher
D Anna Roe
D Sara Chojnacki
M Abby Gosling
M Addison Falco
F Kayla Shebar
F Macy Hutchinson
F Maria Haworth
F Olivia Moreno
Chicagoland Soccer co-MVPs of the Match:
Macy Hutchinson, so., F, Wheaton North
Kayla Shebar, sr., F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North — Grace Ryan (PK), 36’
Second half
Wheaton North — Moreno (Haworth), 53’
Wheaton North — Hutchinson (Haworth), 54’
Wheaton North — Shebar (Hutchinson), 54’
Wheaton North — Shebar (Hutchinson), 56’
Wheaton North — Sophia Fadel (Maddie Del Alcazar), 66’
4 goals in 2nd half 3-minute span lead to 6-0 playoff-opening win
By Bill McLean
WHEATON — Squishy soccer balls halted the action for a few minutes in the first half of a Class 3A regional semifinal at Wheaton North on Wednesday night.
The match between the host Falcons and West Chicago was scoreless in the eighth minute when a referee scurried to a spot near a sideline, pierced an inflating needle into several game balls and pumped, pumped, pumped.
There’s no Deflategate in soccer.
Wheaton North, seeded fifth in the Bartlett Sectional, did puncture something — 12th-seeded West Chicago’s playoff hopes. A barrage of goals in the second half led to the Falcons impressive 6-0 victory at Rexilius Field.
The hosts needed only a little more than three minutes to net four of their five second half tallies on a warm night. Exactly 27 seconds separated Wheaton North’s third and fourth goals.
“Cockiness, unfortunately, was the theme of the first half for us,” admitted Falcons senior forward and Purdue Fort Wayne-bound Kayla Shebar, who scored the fourth and fifth goals off assists from sophomore forward Macy Hutchinson.
“Second half,” she added, “was all about confidence for us.”
Hutchinson, who shared Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors with Shebar, finished with a goal and two assists; senior forward Maria Haworth provided a pair of assists; junior reserve back Grace Ryan, junior forward Olivia Moreno and sophomore reserve midfielder Sophia Fadel each scored once; and Maddie Del Alcazar, another sophomore sub, delivered the cross on Fadel’s 25-yard goal in the 66th minute.
The triumph advanced Wheaton North (8-7-2) to a regional final at fourth-seeded Glenbard West on Saturday at 11 a.m. Host GW downed 13th-seeded Lake Park 3-0 in another regional semifinal on Wednesday.
Wheaton North’s win also stopped a three-game losing streak.
“Grace’s PK [late in the first half] gave us the momentum we needed, and we played with positive energy from there,” said Haworth, a Luther College commit. “We needed a win like this because we’d been in a scoring drought.”
The Falcons were shut out in their final two regular-season games (1-0 to Geneva on May 25, and, two days later 2-0 to St. Charles East, ranked no. 1 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25).
West Chicago (2-7-4) and backup goalkeeper, sophomore Daisy Garcia, blanked Wheaton North for the first 35 minutes Wednesday night. The Wildcats looked nothing like the squad that fell 7-0 to Wheaton North in a season opener on April 18, and exuded the mettle of a single-digit seed eager to enjoy a playoff run longer than a one-and-done.
“Unbelievable … we played unbelievably well in the first half,” said West Chicago coach J. Cesar Gomez, whose varsity roster included five freshmen and four sophomores. “But that didn’t surprise me. We played well in our four ties this season.
“We contained no. 3 [Shebar] for a while. But she creates often for them.”
Indeed. The speedy Shebar set the stage for Wheaton North’s first goal by drawing a red-card foul on Garcia in the 36th minute. Garcia (three saves) collided with a fast-breaking Shebar inside the 18.
Minutes after the call, the center referee neared the sideline and told Gomez, “Your goalkeeper wasn’t playing the ball. My assistant saw it the same way.”
Gomez summoned junior Sydney Ostapa, listed as a midfielder, to take over in goal. She donned an orange pinny instead of a traditional keeper top before entering the fray.
Ryan then lined up for the penalty kick. The defender got downright offensive, booting a fairly slow, perfectly placed shot that nearly slid inside the right post.
It was the equivalent of a pitcher’s changeup painting the outside corner of the plate to retire a flummoxed batter.
“One of the gutsiest PKs,” Falcons coach Tim McEvilly said. “Grace was composed and kept it nice and simple, just like she had been doing in practice.”
That was the lone score of the first half.
Wheaton North doubled its advantage in the 53rd minute, thanks to Northern Michigan recruit Moreno one-timing Haworth’s spot-on corner kick past Ostapa (five saves) from about 15 yards.
Nearly a minute later Haworth fed a pass to Hutchinson, who blasted a five-yard goal.
Hutchinson was in a giving mood shortly thereafter, finding an opportunistic Shebar twice in a two-minute span. The activity preceding the second goal in the electric stretch featured Shebar’s dazzling dribbling skills and a hard cut here and a sharper cut there.
Shebar made it look super easy after her breathless trip around Wildcats, tapping a short shot to the southeast corner of the net in the 56th minute.
“She’s like a little lion when she plays soccer, with the way she runs so fast and all over the place,” Ryan said.
But Shebar saved her voice and let the Falcons’ faithful unleash roars from the stands after each goal. From minute 53 to minute 56, Rexilius Field shook four times.
“When they’re rolling,” McEvilly said of his booters, “they’re fun to watch.”
The difference between the first half and the second?
“We strung passes together better,” Hutchinson said. “We were connecting, finally.”
Winning freshman goalkeeper Zoey Bohmer made one save, on a free kick, in the 79th minute.
Footnotes
Wheaton North’s Shebar, who works with a personal trainer, on what makes her a blur in cleats on soccer pitches: “I lift for speed.” … Wheaton North’s midfield corps was nicked up before Wednesday night’s regional semifinal against visiting West Chicago. Falcons midfielders Lauren Nguyen, a sophomore, and Addison Falco, a freshman, suffered injuries against the Wildcats and did not return to action. “The last three, four weeks have been tough on our midfielders,” said McEvilly, who couldn’t deploy senior and future Louisville Cardinal Julia Simon and junior Claudia Kim in the postseason opener. “Addison has been good at organizing our midfield defense and finding our targets. Our subs know they have to be ready, and they’re all contributing. I’m thrilled I was able to get many of my subs playoff experience tonight, after we took a comfortable lead. Every single one of them did something positive out there. [Junior forward] Emma Losey, on the wing, was active and made some plays. And we got that late goal from Sophia [Fadel] off a great cross from Maddie [Del Alcazar]. A lot of players made me proud and happy.” … West Chicago’s consistent threat on offense was sophomore forward Jenna Zeitoun, who caught up to more than a few passes on rushes and pressured WN’s backs. … West Chicago trailed only 1-0 to heavily favored Wheaton North after 40 minutes Wednesday night. You could point to Wildcats senior defender Luciana Balzer as reason no. 1 for WN’s quiet first half. “Probably our best player,” Gomez said.
Starting lineups
West Chicago
GK Daisy Garcia
D Luciana Balzer
D Jenny Espinal
D Lizbeth Orozco
D Isabella Lopez
M Joanna Velazquez
M Melissa Pani
M Natalie Fernandez
M Ruby Lopez
F Jenna Zeitoun
F Heidi Pereckas
Wheaton North
GK Zoey Bohmer
D Addison Henninger
D Ella Kocher
D Anna Roe
D Sara Chojnacki
M Abby Gosling
M Addison Falco
F Kayla Shebar
F Macy Hutchinson
F Maria Haworth
F Olivia Moreno
Chicagoland Soccer co-MVPs of the Match:
Macy Hutchinson, so., F, Wheaton North
Kayla Shebar, sr., F, Wheaton North
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton North — Grace Ryan (PK), 36’
Second half
Wheaton North — Moreno (Haworth), 53’
Wheaton North — Hutchinson (Haworth), 54’
Wheaton North — Shebar (Hutchinson), 54’
Wheaton North — Shebar (Hutchinson), 56’
Wheaton North — Sophia Fadel (Maddie Del Alcazar), 66’