Caped crusaders rescue West Chicago
Castellanos, Rich shine in 2-goal comeback for tie vs. South Elgin
By Gary Larsen
West Chicago’s dynamic duo of Haley Rich and Barbie Castellanos stood side-by-side during a post-game interview, their capes flapping in the wind that swept across Millennium Field in Streamwood.
That's right, capes. West Chicago coach Cesar Gomez started a new tradition this year, presenting capes replete with Batman symbols to the two Wildcats who play best in each game.
After a 2-2 tie against South Elgin on Wednesday, presenting Castellanos with a cape was a no brainer for Gomez. With West Chicago trailing 2-0 and less than 15 minutes remaining in the game, Castellanos scored twice to salvage a 2-2 tie.
“What I love about her is that she knows she’s good, you know she’s good, but she’s still going to kick the crap out of you,” Gomez said.
Castellanos took feeds from Giselle Navejas and then Jimena Padilla to tie the game, and the senior’s explanation for the West Chicago comeback was more about her team than it was about her own scoring heroics.
“This team plays with heart,” she said. “I don’t think one single player hung their head when we were down 2-0.”
The case for Rich getting a cape was also simple. Facing a South Elgin team adept at sending through-balls ahead to speedy freshman Katrina Barthelt, Rich left her line aggressively and repeatedly to thwart danger throughout.
In years past, the senior wasn’t always so willing to leave her goal.
“It can be hard to make those decisions,” Rich said. “Freshman year … a lot of the times I’d just stay on my line and that was something (Gomez) hated and my parents hated from the stands. But I decided that now I’m doing this. I’m shocking myself sometimes, but it’s definitely something that I’m working a lot on.”
West Chicago (0-0-1) and South Elgin (0-0-1) squared off in not only their season-openers but their first Upstate Eight Conference game of the year Wednesday.
Facing a stiff wind in the first half, West Chicago endured solid opening pressure from the Storm. Barthelt scored the game’s first goal at 9 minutes, taking a pass from Isabella Tusa, beating a defender, and going in alone on Rich.
South Elgin struggled to score last season and coach Laura Snow hopes to see more finishes in 2019.
“It felt good to be the first team to score a goal,” Snow said. “That creates some energy on your team that you just need. And we’re looking forward to having a freshman up-top that can do that for us. We’re looking for a spark, and we’re excited about what she can bring to the team.”
Rich first departed her line and raced out to beat Tusa to a through-ball at 15 minutes, setting an aggressive tone for the rest of the game.
“She did her job today,” Gomez said of Rich. “That’s what you want from your goalie. She came out today, and she came out at the right times.”
South Elgin keeper Ashley Kopczyk left her line to smother a ball on Castellanos’ foot at 17 minutes, and a minute later Rich raced out and elevated to snare a high serve out of the air.
Castellanos sprang freshman Britney Mendoza with a ball sent ahead from midfield, but Kopczyk raced out to destroy the play at 30 minutes. Barthelt swooped in on along the right side in the box with West Chicago’s Irene Dino on her hip and ripped a ball just wide at 33 minutes. Castellanos got loose up the endline on the right side, but Kopczyk saved her shot at the post at 35 minutes in the final legitimate chance on goal of the first half.
Barthelt streaked behind the West Chicago defense to run down passes sent ahead five times in the second half, with Tusa feeding her several perfect balls. Rich was up to every 1-v.-1 but one, when the Storm freshman went in alone on Rich and scored at 43 minutes to give her side its 2-0 lead.
Luckily for the Wildcats, that left plenty of time to keep fighting, and fight they did.
“We’re not emphasizing wins and losses, but we’re going to focus on how hard we’re willing to fight,” Gomez said. “It was fun watching that today. We need that kind of fight from the start all the way to the end.”
From the 60th minute to the end of regulation, Castellanos served notice that if teams lose track of her at any point, anywhere on the field, they’ll likely pay a price.
The 5-foot-1 senior showed toughness and skill as she roamed far and wide in the Wildcats’ attacking third of the field.
“It’s going to be hard to keep her in one spot,” Gomez said. “She has the license to roam. It’s hard to keep a good player in just one spot, and this game was given to that.”
With a ball on her foot near the right-side touchline, Navejas fed a diagonal ball to a streaking Castellanos at 64 minutes. Castellanos took a touch on the right side in the box and sent a shot inside the far post to cut the Storm’s lead in half.
Three minutes later on the left corner of the box, Castellanos flashed at the 18 and received a pass from Padilla. She then took a few touches along the 18 before blistering a shot that stretched the back netting to tie the game.
And that was the moment Castellanos cemented the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
Castellanos played much of the game at midfield before a brief conversation with Navejas changed the game.
“(Navejas) was up-top and she was just like ‘You want to go up?’,” Castellanos said. “She started creating more plays, too, things opened up for me, and we started connecting. At the end, it all played out well.”
Snow was left shaking her head.
“We’ve got to take advantage of those small situations, because they can lead to big trouble like that,” Snow said. “We need to take care of the little things first. Letting that play even evolve is a problem. If you give (Castellanos) that space, she’s going to take it.”
The teams traded punches in the final 15 minutes but both Rich and Kopczyk handled everything that came their way. Navejas forced a diving save from Kopczyk at 74 minutes for the game’s best final scoring chance.
In addition to Rich and Castellanos, Gomez had praise for a varsity newcomer in the Wildcats’ fold.
I liked (Melissa) Pani today. She’s just a freshman but she came and did her job,” Gomez said. “She’s a possession kid, and she did a great job today.”
Starting lineups
West Chicago
GK Haley Rich
D Dulce Reyes
D Luciana Balzer
D Irene Dino
M Jimena Padilla
M Barbie Castellanos
M Emily Ayala
M Evelyn Hernandez
M Joana Velazquez
F Ruby Lebo
F Giselle Navejas
South Elgin
GK Ashley Kopczyk
D Danielle Kucharski
D Norah Stueck
D Kaleigh LaRue
D Taylor Latsonas
M Julia Wafford
M Bridget Bondi
M Nicole Peeters
M Madeline Freitag
F Isabella Tusa
F Katrina Barthelt
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match — Barbie Castellanos, sr., MF, West Chicago
Scoring summary
First half
South Elgin -- Barhelt (Tusa) at 9 minutes
Second half
South Elgin -- Barthlelt (Tusa) at 42 minutes
West Chicago -- Castellanos (Navejas) at 64 minutes
West Chicago -- Castellanos (Padilla) at 67 minutes
Castellanos, Rich shine in 2-goal comeback for tie vs. South Elgin
By Gary Larsen
West Chicago’s dynamic duo of Haley Rich and Barbie Castellanos stood side-by-side during a post-game interview, their capes flapping in the wind that swept across Millennium Field in Streamwood.
That's right, capes. West Chicago coach Cesar Gomez started a new tradition this year, presenting capes replete with Batman symbols to the two Wildcats who play best in each game.
After a 2-2 tie against South Elgin on Wednesday, presenting Castellanos with a cape was a no brainer for Gomez. With West Chicago trailing 2-0 and less than 15 minutes remaining in the game, Castellanos scored twice to salvage a 2-2 tie.
“What I love about her is that she knows she’s good, you know she’s good, but she’s still going to kick the crap out of you,” Gomez said.
Castellanos took feeds from Giselle Navejas and then Jimena Padilla to tie the game, and the senior’s explanation for the West Chicago comeback was more about her team than it was about her own scoring heroics.
“This team plays with heart,” she said. “I don’t think one single player hung their head when we were down 2-0.”
The case for Rich getting a cape was also simple. Facing a South Elgin team adept at sending through-balls ahead to speedy freshman Katrina Barthelt, Rich left her line aggressively and repeatedly to thwart danger throughout.
In years past, the senior wasn’t always so willing to leave her goal.
“It can be hard to make those decisions,” Rich said. “Freshman year … a lot of the times I’d just stay on my line and that was something (Gomez) hated and my parents hated from the stands. But I decided that now I’m doing this. I’m shocking myself sometimes, but it’s definitely something that I’m working a lot on.”
West Chicago (0-0-1) and South Elgin (0-0-1) squared off in not only their season-openers but their first Upstate Eight Conference game of the year Wednesday.
Facing a stiff wind in the first half, West Chicago endured solid opening pressure from the Storm. Barthelt scored the game’s first goal at 9 minutes, taking a pass from Isabella Tusa, beating a defender, and going in alone on Rich.
South Elgin struggled to score last season and coach Laura Snow hopes to see more finishes in 2019.
“It felt good to be the first team to score a goal,” Snow said. “That creates some energy on your team that you just need. And we’re looking forward to having a freshman up-top that can do that for us. We’re looking for a spark, and we’re excited about what she can bring to the team.”
Rich first departed her line and raced out to beat Tusa to a through-ball at 15 minutes, setting an aggressive tone for the rest of the game.
“She did her job today,” Gomez said of Rich. “That’s what you want from your goalie. She came out today, and she came out at the right times.”
South Elgin keeper Ashley Kopczyk left her line to smother a ball on Castellanos’ foot at 17 minutes, and a minute later Rich raced out and elevated to snare a high serve out of the air.
Castellanos sprang freshman Britney Mendoza with a ball sent ahead from midfield, but Kopczyk raced out to destroy the play at 30 minutes. Barthelt swooped in on along the right side in the box with West Chicago’s Irene Dino on her hip and ripped a ball just wide at 33 minutes. Castellanos got loose up the endline on the right side, but Kopczyk saved her shot at the post at 35 minutes in the final legitimate chance on goal of the first half.
Barthelt streaked behind the West Chicago defense to run down passes sent ahead five times in the second half, with Tusa feeding her several perfect balls. Rich was up to every 1-v.-1 but one, when the Storm freshman went in alone on Rich and scored at 43 minutes to give her side its 2-0 lead.
Luckily for the Wildcats, that left plenty of time to keep fighting, and fight they did.
“We’re not emphasizing wins and losses, but we’re going to focus on how hard we’re willing to fight,” Gomez said. “It was fun watching that today. We need that kind of fight from the start all the way to the end.”
From the 60th minute to the end of regulation, Castellanos served notice that if teams lose track of her at any point, anywhere on the field, they’ll likely pay a price.
The 5-foot-1 senior showed toughness and skill as she roamed far and wide in the Wildcats’ attacking third of the field.
“It’s going to be hard to keep her in one spot,” Gomez said. “She has the license to roam. It’s hard to keep a good player in just one spot, and this game was given to that.”
With a ball on her foot near the right-side touchline, Navejas fed a diagonal ball to a streaking Castellanos at 64 minutes. Castellanos took a touch on the right side in the box and sent a shot inside the far post to cut the Storm’s lead in half.
Three minutes later on the left corner of the box, Castellanos flashed at the 18 and received a pass from Padilla. She then took a few touches along the 18 before blistering a shot that stretched the back netting to tie the game.
And that was the moment Castellanos cemented the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
Castellanos played much of the game at midfield before a brief conversation with Navejas changed the game.
“(Navejas) was up-top and she was just like ‘You want to go up?’,” Castellanos said. “She started creating more plays, too, things opened up for me, and we started connecting. At the end, it all played out well.”
Snow was left shaking her head.
“We’ve got to take advantage of those small situations, because they can lead to big trouble like that,” Snow said. “We need to take care of the little things first. Letting that play even evolve is a problem. If you give (Castellanos) that space, she’s going to take it.”
The teams traded punches in the final 15 minutes but both Rich and Kopczyk handled everything that came their way. Navejas forced a diving save from Kopczyk at 74 minutes for the game’s best final scoring chance.
In addition to Rich and Castellanos, Gomez had praise for a varsity newcomer in the Wildcats’ fold.
I liked (Melissa) Pani today. She’s just a freshman but she came and did her job,” Gomez said. “She’s a possession kid, and she did a great job today.”
Starting lineups
West Chicago
GK Haley Rich
D Dulce Reyes
D Luciana Balzer
D Irene Dino
M Jimena Padilla
M Barbie Castellanos
M Emily Ayala
M Evelyn Hernandez
M Joana Velazquez
F Ruby Lebo
F Giselle Navejas
South Elgin
GK Ashley Kopczyk
D Danielle Kucharski
D Norah Stueck
D Kaleigh LaRue
D Taylor Latsonas
M Julia Wafford
M Bridget Bondi
M Nicole Peeters
M Madeline Freitag
F Isabella Tusa
F Katrina Barthelt
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match — Barbie Castellanos, sr., MF, West Chicago
Scoring summary
First half
South Elgin -- Barhelt (Tusa) at 9 minutes
Second half
South Elgin -- Barthlelt (Tusa) at 42 minutes
West Chicago -- Castellanos (Navejas) at 64 minutes
West Chicago -- Castellanos (Padilla) at 67 minutes