St. Francis edges Wheaton Academy
to earn share of Metro Blue title
Spartans win 2-1 on late goal, create 3-way tie with WA, R-B
By Curt Herron
WHEATON -- There aren't very many teams that had only two wins just three weeks ago, or were seeded in the bottom half of their sectional, who believe that they have an opportunity to make a successful run in the upcoming IHSA playoffs.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet one of them: St. Francis.
After a 2-7-1 start to the season and drawing the 10-seed in the rugged Class AA Wheaton Academy Sectional, St. Francis is energized after winning its final five regular-season matches. That run was capped off Friday with an exciting 2-1 home win over Wheaton Academy at Kuhn Memorial Stadium.
The win earned a second-consecutive Metro Suburban Conference title for St. Francis. The current one came in the Blue Division and was shared with Wheaton Academy and Riverside-Brookfield. Last year’s was accomplished when the league played in a single table due to COVID
With four of their losses coming against teams who are ranked ninth or better in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and three other defeats against squads who won 11 or more matches and won or contended for conference titles, the youthful Spartans have outscored their last five opponents by a 34-3 margin.
They head into Wednesday's 5 p.m. rematch with Wheaton Academy in a Nazareth Regional semifinal in LaGrange Park feeling excited about the possibilities.
Though more than half of coach Jim Winslow's squad is made up of freshmen and sophomores, when a program has won two state titles, placed fourth, captured five sectional titles in 10 tries and won 10 regionals in the last 11 seasons that it's competed in the Class AA playoffs, players tend to believe that a long playoff run seems to be nothing out of the ordinary.
The Spartans capped their home finale and regular-season in dramatic fashion when sophomore Ellie Bielenda connected on a header from close range in the 77th minute to improve the team to 7-7-1, and 5-1-x in the MSC Blue.
The unusual back-to-back matches between Wheaton Academy and St. Francis were created by a postponement from April 26.
Fifth sectional-seed Wheaton Academy (12-6-2, 5-1-x) had hoped to wrap up an outright and undefeated conference championship in the game. The Warriors fought back with a goal from junior Haley Serna, after an assist from senior Emily Setran in the 51st minute, that created a 1-1 tie.
St. Francis held a 1-0 halftime advantage when sophomore Paige Chrustowski fired in a free kick just 10 seconds before the break.
The Spartans returned 10 players from its 2021 squad. That group won 13 in a row before suffering its only defeat of the season in the sectional finals on their blue, home turf against eventual fourth place-finisher St. Ignatius. The Spartans are upbeat about their chances in a sectional where Benet, Lemont, Nazareth and Joliet Catholic are the top-four seeds respectively.
Kaneland, Glenbard South, Hinsdale South and Mansueto rank sixth through ninth.
"Someone asked me today and said your record isn't great, and I was like, 'No it's not. It's been a hard season, but we're playing better,’" Winslow said.
"It was so hot today compared to a week ago, so I was proud of how we went up and played well. We gave up a goal and kind of ground it out and scored another goal that wasn't super pretty, but it was nice. I was proud of how they responded because a month ago we would have just gotten down.
"When we play them (Wheaton Academy), every game is going to be a battle. Somebody asked me about what does this kind of game mean, and it means that we tied for the conference championship, that's it. Because Wednesday could be a completely different story.
“With the teams (in the sectional) one through 10, there are no easy games. It's not been an easy year. But for some of the people who saw us play R-B (in a 2-0 loss in the third game of the season), with the level that we're playing at now, they're stunned at our progression. So, it's been all good."
Meanwhile, coach Maria Selvaggio's Warriors have 15 players who return from last season's 19-5-0 squad that took third in Class A for a program that's captured three IHSA championships and seven state trophies. With so many players back from a Final Four squad, the team has its sights set on trying to become the fourth one from the school to make consecutive state finals appearances. Wheaton Academy plays in Class AA this spring due to the IHSA's success multiplier.
"They know how sweet that is (winning a trophy). They definitely have a desire to be back in that position, and they know how much work it takes," Selvaggio said. "So, I think they're excited to start a new week with the postseason. We are not lacking motivation to play again on Wednesday and this one set the tone.
"I think I'm most proud of how resilient we are. We've shown in a handful of games when we've been down a goal, we just continued to keep ourselves level-headed and just pressed on. It was a great free kick and we could have easily gone into the second half with their heads down. We had chances, and they had chances; and they put two away, and we put one away."
After Wheaton Academy forced a tie early in the second half, both sides had plenty of good opportunities to move in front, but Warriors senior goalie Sara Swoboda and Spartans junior keeper Elise Ward came up with big stops on the threatening attempts that came their way.
Shortly before the midpoint of the final half, Chrustowski sent in a corner kick for St. Francis that glanced off of a defender and was hauled in. Then Wheaton Academy responded with a short attempt from sophomore Fionna Davis.
Not long after Spartans senior Lauren Bruce had a shot headed away by freshman Lexi Rojek, Setran was thwarted on a liner. The Warriors had several good chances: junior Jillian Paulson sent in a free kick from just outside of the box that no one could get on the end of, before sophomore Eva DeSouza and Davis were denied by Ward.
Just as it appeared that no one might score again in regulation play, Bielenda got to a loose ball in front of the goal and promptly headed a shot into the corner of the net to put the hosts in front for the second and final time. Wheaton Academy was unable to get off any dangerous attempts the rest of the way.
"It was amazing, I don't know how to really describe it," said Bielenda, who could only recall scoring one other time on a header. "I kind of saw it in the air and no one was really near me so I just said, 'Why not?' and “Go for it,” and it went in.
“We've been looking forward to this game for so long, and our goal was to hopefully beat them.
"In the beginning, it was kind of hard for us because we're a really young team. But as the season progressed, we improved and we were more positive as the season went on. Eventually that led to this win. It was a little hard at first, but as the season progressed, everything just kind of came together like a puzzle."
Both sides had good opportunities to connect in the opening minutes of the final half as Warriors senior Sydney Abbott was stopped by Ward and Swoboda pulled in a long free kick from Chrustowski.
Wheaton Academy evened things in the 51st minute when Setran sent a pass to Serna, who got past defenders and made a long run before placing one on the opposite side of the net from about 20 yards.
"It was a good fight," Serna said. "Our coach said how it's really hard to beat a good team twice. So I think now that we know what we're up against, we kind of see who they are and what we can do. I think that we're going to come back ready.
"Coming off of last year's really good placement at state, I think it gives us the extra boost that we can do it again this year. We have the capability and we're going to strive for it.
"At the beginning of the season we had to figure out what the type of team we were because we had seniors that graduated. It took us a while, but after we took some time and got a few games in, we figured out the type of team that we are and ultimately that has brought us success. We know how each of us play, and we play to our strengths."
In the first half, St. Francis had most of the good chances but both goalies stopped whatever came their way. Some of the best Spartans threats were sent in by sophomore Sophia Roszkowski, senior Claire Reinke, junior Carly Chriske, Chrustowski, Bielenda and Bruce. The Warriors received good scoring attempts from Paulson and Serna.
But just before the whistle was about to blow at halftime, Chrustowski was awarded a free kick near the sideline and directed a liner into the net that provided the hosts with the first lead and ultimately set the stage for another dramatic score late in regulation play. Beside its importance to the match, the excellent free kick was a nice reward for a sophomore who was finally able to return to a full-time role.
"I feel like throughout the game that we all had nerves and excitement and we all felt in different ways about the game," Chrustowski said. "I think the first 10 minutes was a little bit of a scramble with everyone trying to kick it back and forth. I feel like as more of the game went on, the more that we started to settle and the more we started to focus.
“We started communicating better once we started meshing with each other. And being able to score in the first half really set the tone. Even with them coming back, I feel like we really never gave up, and it kind of pushed us.
"Starting the season off with harder games was a lot better for us, because we were able to figure out how each other played and how everyone functioned and how we could talk to each other.
“I was out for like the entire season; this was my first full game back where I was able to play the whole time. So I feel like scoring early was big. Ellie's goal was really good, and it helped us in the last three minutes to keep our composure and focus on what we had to do. Being able to score was really good and made me feel really good.
“I feel like we've been able to communicate. At the beginning of the season, we didn't know how each other worked. But now we're able to understand who likes what foot and who does what better and we kind of play around everyone’s skills."
Just as St. Francis has bounced back from a tough start, Wheaton Academy opened the season with a 3-4-1 record and had gone 9-1-1 prior to Friday's match. The Warriors hope to avenge their loss to the Spartans and advance to Friday's 4:30 p.m. finals to face the winner of the Tuesday semifinal between Nazareth and Providence.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
G Sara Swoboda
D Jillian Paulson
D Haleigh Manske
D Britta Love
D Lexi Rojek
M Lily Lebo
M Grace Penniall
M Emily Setran
M Jocelyn Royce
F Haley Serna
F Eva DeSouza
St. Francis
G Elise Ward
D Alyssa Suriano
D Shannon Brown
D Adriana Suriano
D Sara Dziengel
M Ellie Bielenda
M Sophia Roszkowski
M Elle Wainscott
M Claire Reinke
F Lauren Bruce
F Paige Chrustowski
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Ellie Bielenda, so., M, St. Francis
Paige Chrustowski, so., F, St. Francis
Scoring summary
First half
SF: Paige Chrustowski, 40’
Second half
WA: Haley Serna (Emily Setran), 51’
SF: Ellie Bielenda, 77’
to earn share of Metro Blue title
Spartans win 2-1 on late goal, create 3-way tie with WA, R-B
By Curt Herron
WHEATON -- There aren't very many teams that had only two wins just three weeks ago, or were seeded in the bottom half of their sectional, who believe that they have an opportunity to make a successful run in the upcoming IHSA playoffs.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet one of them: St. Francis.
After a 2-7-1 start to the season and drawing the 10-seed in the rugged Class AA Wheaton Academy Sectional, St. Francis is energized after winning its final five regular-season matches. That run was capped off Friday with an exciting 2-1 home win over Wheaton Academy at Kuhn Memorial Stadium.
The win earned a second-consecutive Metro Suburban Conference title for St. Francis. The current one came in the Blue Division and was shared with Wheaton Academy and Riverside-Brookfield. Last year’s was accomplished when the league played in a single table due to COVID
With four of their losses coming against teams who are ranked ninth or better in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and three other defeats against squads who won 11 or more matches and won or contended for conference titles, the youthful Spartans have outscored their last five opponents by a 34-3 margin.
They head into Wednesday's 5 p.m. rematch with Wheaton Academy in a Nazareth Regional semifinal in LaGrange Park feeling excited about the possibilities.
Though more than half of coach Jim Winslow's squad is made up of freshmen and sophomores, when a program has won two state titles, placed fourth, captured five sectional titles in 10 tries and won 10 regionals in the last 11 seasons that it's competed in the Class AA playoffs, players tend to believe that a long playoff run seems to be nothing out of the ordinary.
The Spartans capped their home finale and regular-season in dramatic fashion when sophomore Ellie Bielenda connected on a header from close range in the 77th minute to improve the team to 7-7-1, and 5-1-x in the MSC Blue.
The unusual back-to-back matches between Wheaton Academy and St. Francis were created by a postponement from April 26.
Fifth sectional-seed Wheaton Academy (12-6-2, 5-1-x) had hoped to wrap up an outright and undefeated conference championship in the game. The Warriors fought back with a goal from junior Haley Serna, after an assist from senior Emily Setran in the 51st minute, that created a 1-1 tie.
St. Francis held a 1-0 halftime advantage when sophomore Paige Chrustowski fired in a free kick just 10 seconds before the break.
The Spartans returned 10 players from its 2021 squad. That group won 13 in a row before suffering its only defeat of the season in the sectional finals on their blue, home turf against eventual fourth place-finisher St. Ignatius. The Spartans are upbeat about their chances in a sectional where Benet, Lemont, Nazareth and Joliet Catholic are the top-four seeds respectively.
Kaneland, Glenbard South, Hinsdale South and Mansueto rank sixth through ninth.
"Someone asked me today and said your record isn't great, and I was like, 'No it's not. It's been a hard season, but we're playing better,’" Winslow said.
"It was so hot today compared to a week ago, so I was proud of how we went up and played well. We gave up a goal and kind of ground it out and scored another goal that wasn't super pretty, but it was nice. I was proud of how they responded because a month ago we would have just gotten down.
"When we play them (Wheaton Academy), every game is going to be a battle. Somebody asked me about what does this kind of game mean, and it means that we tied for the conference championship, that's it. Because Wednesday could be a completely different story.
“With the teams (in the sectional) one through 10, there are no easy games. It's not been an easy year. But for some of the people who saw us play R-B (in a 2-0 loss in the third game of the season), with the level that we're playing at now, they're stunned at our progression. So, it's been all good."
Meanwhile, coach Maria Selvaggio's Warriors have 15 players who return from last season's 19-5-0 squad that took third in Class A for a program that's captured three IHSA championships and seven state trophies. With so many players back from a Final Four squad, the team has its sights set on trying to become the fourth one from the school to make consecutive state finals appearances. Wheaton Academy plays in Class AA this spring due to the IHSA's success multiplier.
"They know how sweet that is (winning a trophy). They definitely have a desire to be back in that position, and they know how much work it takes," Selvaggio said. "So, I think they're excited to start a new week with the postseason. We are not lacking motivation to play again on Wednesday and this one set the tone.
"I think I'm most proud of how resilient we are. We've shown in a handful of games when we've been down a goal, we just continued to keep ourselves level-headed and just pressed on. It was a great free kick and we could have easily gone into the second half with their heads down. We had chances, and they had chances; and they put two away, and we put one away."
After Wheaton Academy forced a tie early in the second half, both sides had plenty of good opportunities to move in front, but Warriors senior goalie Sara Swoboda and Spartans junior keeper Elise Ward came up with big stops on the threatening attempts that came their way.
Shortly before the midpoint of the final half, Chrustowski sent in a corner kick for St. Francis that glanced off of a defender and was hauled in. Then Wheaton Academy responded with a short attempt from sophomore Fionna Davis.
Not long after Spartans senior Lauren Bruce had a shot headed away by freshman Lexi Rojek, Setran was thwarted on a liner. The Warriors had several good chances: junior Jillian Paulson sent in a free kick from just outside of the box that no one could get on the end of, before sophomore Eva DeSouza and Davis were denied by Ward.
Just as it appeared that no one might score again in regulation play, Bielenda got to a loose ball in front of the goal and promptly headed a shot into the corner of the net to put the hosts in front for the second and final time. Wheaton Academy was unable to get off any dangerous attempts the rest of the way.
"It was amazing, I don't know how to really describe it," said Bielenda, who could only recall scoring one other time on a header. "I kind of saw it in the air and no one was really near me so I just said, 'Why not?' and “Go for it,” and it went in.
“We've been looking forward to this game for so long, and our goal was to hopefully beat them.
"In the beginning, it was kind of hard for us because we're a really young team. But as the season progressed, we improved and we were more positive as the season went on. Eventually that led to this win. It was a little hard at first, but as the season progressed, everything just kind of came together like a puzzle."
Both sides had good opportunities to connect in the opening minutes of the final half as Warriors senior Sydney Abbott was stopped by Ward and Swoboda pulled in a long free kick from Chrustowski.
Wheaton Academy evened things in the 51st minute when Setran sent a pass to Serna, who got past defenders and made a long run before placing one on the opposite side of the net from about 20 yards.
"It was a good fight," Serna said. "Our coach said how it's really hard to beat a good team twice. So I think now that we know what we're up against, we kind of see who they are and what we can do. I think that we're going to come back ready.
"Coming off of last year's really good placement at state, I think it gives us the extra boost that we can do it again this year. We have the capability and we're going to strive for it.
"At the beginning of the season we had to figure out what the type of team we were because we had seniors that graduated. It took us a while, but after we took some time and got a few games in, we figured out the type of team that we are and ultimately that has brought us success. We know how each of us play, and we play to our strengths."
In the first half, St. Francis had most of the good chances but both goalies stopped whatever came their way. Some of the best Spartans threats were sent in by sophomore Sophia Roszkowski, senior Claire Reinke, junior Carly Chriske, Chrustowski, Bielenda and Bruce. The Warriors received good scoring attempts from Paulson and Serna.
But just before the whistle was about to blow at halftime, Chrustowski was awarded a free kick near the sideline and directed a liner into the net that provided the hosts with the first lead and ultimately set the stage for another dramatic score late in regulation play. Beside its importance to the match, the excellent free kick was a nice reward for a sophomore who was finally able to return to a full-time role.
"I feel like throughout the game that we all had nerves and excitement and we all felt in different ways about the game," Chrustowski said. "I think the first 10 minutes was a little bit of a scramble with everyone trying to kick it back and forth. I feel like as more of the game went on, the more that we started to settle and the more we started to focus.
“We started communicating better once we started meshing with each other. And being able to score in the first half really set the tone. Even with them coming back, I feel like we really never gave up, and it kind of pushed us.
"Starting the season off with harder games was a lot better for us, because we were able to figure out how each other played and how everyone functioned and how we could talk to each other.
“I was out for like the entire season; this was my first full game back where I was able to play the whole time. So I feel like scoring early was big. Ellie's goal was really good, and it helped us in the last three minutes to keep our composure and focus on what we had to do. Being able to score was really good and made me feel really good.
“I feel like we've been able to communicate. At the beginning of the season, we didn't know how each other worked. But now we're able to understand who likes what foot and who does what better and we kind of play around everyone’s skills."
Just as St. Francis has bounced back from a tough start, Wheaton Academy opened the season with a 3-4-1 record and had gone 9-1-1 prior to Friday's match. The Warriors hope to avenge their loss to the Spartans and advance to Friday's 4:30 p.m. finals to face the winner of the Tuesday semifinal between Nazareth and Providence.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Academy
G Sara Swoboda
D Jillian Paulson
D Haleigh Manske
D Britta Love
D Lexi Rojek
M Lily Lebo
M Grace Penniall
M Emily Setran
M Jocelyn Royce
F Haley Serna
F Eva DeSouza
St. Francis
G Elise Ward
D Alyssa Suriano
D Shannon Brown
D Adriana Suriano
D Sara Dziengel
M Ellie Bielenda
M Sophia Roszkowski
M Elle Wainscott
M Claire Reinke
F Lauren Bruce
F Paige Chrustowski
Chicagoland Soccer MVPs of the Match:
Ellie Bielenda, so., M, St. Francis
Paige Chrustowski, so., F, St. Francis
Scoring summary
First half
SF: Paige Chrustowski, 40’
Second half
WA: Haley Serna (Emily Setran), 51’
SF: Ellie Bielenda, 77’