South tops North in Wheaton DVC finale
Schwerin’s 2nd half pair of goals the difference in Tigers' 3-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
WHEATON – The annual match between crosstown rivals Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South was supposed to kick off the DuPage Valley Conference season on April 3.
Instead, the game put the finishing touches on the league’s final campaign under its current nine-team configuration.
Weather postponed the battle twice, but it was worth the wait as the two teams put on a great show Saturday at Red Grange Field.
Senior defender Rebecca Oberhelman scored her first varsity goal and senior forward Morgan Schwerin punctuated her final home game by scoring the second of her two goals with 1 second remaining as the Tigers knocked off the Falcons 3-1.
The victory means the Tigers (13-7-0, 5-3-0) retain the Wheaton Cup and goes into the Class 3A playoffs on a winning note after dropping three straight one-goal decisions.
“It was almost appropriate that this game got pushed back twice to the last game, because we needed a little bit of a momentum-seeker going into the playoffs given that we had played Geneva, Naperville North and Neuqua Valley,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “It was close towards the end, and they really made a game of it. I’m very pleased with the result, obviously.”
The Tigers and Falcons will continue their rivalry, but this was their final meeting in the DVC. Wheaton North, Wheaton Warrenville South, Lake Park and Glenbard North are leaving the league to join the newly formed DuKane Conference with Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles North and St. Charles East.
Schwerin ended the game in memorable fashion. She took a pass from senior Claire Kiple and scored with one tick left to end what had been a close match that the Tigers dominated early before the Falcons (4-13-2, 2-5-1) made them sweat late.
“It was really nice,” Schwerin said of the last play. “I didn’t expect to score.
“We were just trying to get the ball to the corner and keep it there so they couldn’t score, but then I had the open shot so I took it. It was a really exciting way to end my last game on Red Grange Field.”
Oberhelman was just as excited because of her milestone, which came at the 24:41 mark of the first half. The reserve backliner leaped up to meet Allie Anderson’s corner kick and sent it under the crossbar to open the scoring.
“I thought it was a fitting end to the season, and my soccer career as a Tiger,” Oberhelman said. “It was just really amazing having everyone support me and being able to do this with the team is just amazing.”
While Oberhelman’s goal did not end up being the game-winner, it was still a storybook tale that Callipari deemed worthy of reading.
“That was appropriate about how she just rose above (everyone), and she’s good with her head,” Callipari said. “She didn’t do a lot with it, just kind of directed it.
“All things considered, it was purposeful on the perfect day against the perfect team.”
In terms of possession, the Tigers were nearly perfect in the first half, outshooting the Falcons 12-1. But they had just the one goal to show for it, though Paige Miller hit the crossbar twice and sent a 12-yard shot skittering just wide of the right post.
Wheaton North goalkeeper Ava Lynch made three of her five saves before the break to help keep the visitors within striking distance.
“We played a horrendous first half and we were fortunate to be down 1-0,” Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said. “That’s what we talked about at halftime, ‘Look, there is no reason for this game to be close, you have to take it as a blessing,’ and I thought we played a completely different second half.”
No one can argue with that. The Tigers had a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks after the break, but the play was even throughout.
The Falcons announced their intention to put up a better fight just five minutes into the final period when senior Kailee Sowers beat Tigers goalie Abbie Brennan with an 18-yard free kick. Kiple, however, was hugging the left post and redirected the shot around the pipe.
That kept Wheaton Warrenville South’s clean sheet intact, but not for long.
Nine minutes later, defender Jaden Trometer teed up a 35-yard free kick from the right wing that sailed toward the far upper 90. Brennan got to it and got a hand on the ball, but it hit the inside of the left post and dropped in to tie the game at 1-1.
“Jaden’s goal was just trying to make something difficult for the keeper,” McEvilly said. “It was a fantastic goal for us, and we had lots of other opportunities. Then they scored off our corner kick.”
The Tigers had turned the game slightly in their favor when Kiple lined a 26-yard shot off the crossbar with 13:35 remaining. That started a dizzying game of back-and-forth.
The Falcons quickly attacked and forced a corner kick. The Tigers cleared that and went back the other way with a counterattack led by junior midfielder Audrey Siebert, who dribbled 50 yards up the middle of the field before North’s defense forced her to the outside.
Siebert retained possession and took the ball to the left end line before crossing in front. Lynch cut off the ball but couldn’t hold on, and Schwerin was there to boot it into the back of the net with 12:06 remaining.
“(Siebert) did a fantastic job of maintaining possession of the ball, waiting for her runs to develop, getting it wide and making a nice cross,” McEvilly said. “We mishandled the ball.”
Schwerin gave all of the credit to Siebert.
“I was following her down, and I just told her to keep going to goal and take it all the way,” Schwerin said. “Then she got forced outside and forced to slot it in, and then I just got a foot on it.
“I was at the right place at the right time. It was good timing.”
Wheaton North did have a few more chances but shots from Sammy Schomig, Riley Winckler and Sarah Brcka did not find the mark.
The result was in doubt until the final minute, when the Tigers played keepaway until Schwerin put the exclamation point on the victory.
“Give credit to Wheaton North,” Callipari said. “They’re well-coached and designed in a way to be successful.
“They had a couple looks at the end. It was a crazy game.”
While the result gave the Tigers a boost going into the postseason where they expect to make a long run, it provided a reminder to the Falcons, who closed a tough-luck regular season with a six-game winless streak. Of North’s 13 losses, seven have been by one goal, including one in double overtime, and three others by two goals.
“We’ve had a week and a half where we’ve gone into overtime or had one-goal games against Neuqua and Metea and Naperville Central,’ McEvilly said. “We should know by now that it’s not just one half that’s going to win you a game against quality competition, and South has got some very dangerous players. (That is Callipari’s) best attacking team he’s had in a while.”
For the unheralded Oberhelman, the result provided a fantastic feeling.
“It was just really fun,” Oberhelman said. “It’s just great to have a team like this who push through the entire way, even when times get tough like in the second half. It was really satisfying.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Ava Lynch
D Michaela Van Meter
D Jaden Trometer
D Kristen Szumski
D Hannah Swider
M Sara Brcka
M Abby Atkinson
M Anna Warfield
F Rose Quinn
F Kailee Sowers
F Sammie Schomig
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Maria Dohse
D Sam Buol
D Molly Fank
D Claire Kiple
M Allie Anderson
M Audrey Siebert
M Julia Cox
M Jennifer Aalbue
F Paige Miller
F Morgan Schwerin
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Morgan Schwerin, sr., F, Wheaton Warrenville South.
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton Warrenville South – Rebecca Oberhelman (Allie Anderson) 24:41
Second half
Wheaton North – Jaden Trometer (unassisted) 26:02
Wheaton Warrenville South – Morgan Schwerin (unassisted) 12:06
Wheaton Warrenville South – Schwerin (Claire Kiple) :01
Schwerin’s 2nd half pair of goals the difference in Tigers' 3-1 win
By Matt Le Cren
WHEATON – The annual match between crosstown rivals Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South was supposed to kick off the DuPage Valley Conference season on April 3.
Instead, the game put the finishing touches on the league’s final campaign under its current nine-team configuration.
Weather postponed the battle twice, but it was worth the wait as the two teams put on a great show Saturday at Red Grange Field.
Senior defender Rebecca Oberhelman scored her first varsity goal and senior forward Morgan Schwerin punctuated her final home game by scoring the second of her two goals with 1 second remaining as the Tigers knocked off the Falcons 3-1.
The victory means the Tigers (13-7-0, 5-3-0) retain the Wheaton Cup and goes into the Class 3A playoffs on a winning note after dropping three straight one-goal decisions.
“It was almost appropriate that this game got pushed back twice to the last game, because we needed a little bit of a momentum-seeker going into the playoffs given that we had played Geneva, Naperville North and Neuqua Valley,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “It was close towards the end, and they really made a game of it. I’m very pleased with the result, obviously.”
The Tigers and Falcons will continue their rivalry, but this was their final meeting in the DVC. Wheaton North, Wheaton Warrenville South, Lake Park and Glenbard North are leaving the league to join the newly formed DuKane Conference with Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles North and St. Charles East.
Schwerin ended the game in memorable fashion. She took a pass from senior Claire Kiple and scored with one tick left to end what had been a close match that the Tigers dominated early before the Falcons (4-13-2, 2-5-1) made them sweat late.
“It was really nice,” Schwerin said of the last play. “I didn’t expect to score.
“We were just trying to get the ball to the corner and keep it there so they couldn’t score, but then I had the open shot so I took it. It was a really exciting way to end my last game on Red Grange Field.”
Oberhelman was just as excited because of her milestone, which came at the 24:41 mark of the first half. The reserve backliner leaped up to meet Allie Anderson’s corner kick and sent it under the crossbar to open the scoring.
“I thought it was a fitting end to the season, and my soccer career as a Tiger,” Oberhelman said. “It was just really amazing having everyone support me and being able to do this with the team is just amazing.”
While Oberhelman’s goal did not end up being the game-winner, it was still a storybook tale that Callipari deemed worthy of reading.
“That was appropriate about how she just rose above (everyone), and she’s good with her head,” Callipari said. “She didn’t do a lot with it, just kind of directed it.
“All things considered, it was purposeful on the perfect day against the perfect team.”
In terms of possession, the Tigers were nearly perfect in the first half, outshooting the Falcons 12-1. But they had just the one goal to show for it, though Paige Miller hit the crossbar twice and sent a 12-yard shot skittering just wide of the right post.
Wheaton North goalkeeper Ava Lynch made three of her five saves before the break to help keep the visitors within striking distance.
“We played a horrendous first half and we were fortunate to be down 1-0,” Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said. “That’s what we talked about at halftime, ‘Look, there is no reason for this game to be close, you have to take it as a blessing,’ and I thought we played a completely different second half.”
No one can argue with that. The Tigers had a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks after the break, but the play was even throughout.
The Falcons announced their intention to put up a better fight just five minutes into the final period when senior Kailee Sowers beat Tigers goalie Abbie Brennan with an 18-yard free kick. Kiple, however, was hugging the left post and redirected the shot around the pipe.
That kept Wheaton Warrenville South’s clean sheet intact, but not for long.
Nine minutes later, defender Jaden Trometer teed up a 35-yard free kick from the right wing that sailed toward the far upper 90. Brennan got to it and got a hand on the ball, but it hit the inside of the left post and dropped in to tie the game at 1-1.
“Jaden’s goal was just trying to make something difficult for the keeper,” McEvilly said. “It was a fantastic goal for us, and we had lots of other opportunities. Then they scored off our corner kick.”
The Tigers had turned the game slightly in their favor when Kiple lined a 26-yard shot off the crossbar with 13:35 remaining. That started a dizzying game of back-and-forth.
The Falcons quickly attacked and forced a corner kick. The Tigers cleared that and went back the other way with a counterattack led by junior midfielder Audrey Siebert, who dribbled 50 yards up the middle of the field before North’s defense forced her to the outside.
Siebert retained possession and took the ball to the left end line before crossing in front. Lynch cut off the ball but couldn’t hold on, and Schwerin was there to boot it into the back of the net with 12:06 remaining.
“(Siebert) did a fantastic job of maintaining possession of the ball, waiting for her runs to develop, getting it wide and making a nice cross,” McEvilly said. “We mishandled the ball.”
Schwerin gave all of the credit to Siebert.
“I was following her down, and I just told her to keep going to goal and take it all the way,” Schwerin said. “Then she got forced outside and forced to slot it in, and then I just got a foot on it.
“I was at the right place at the right time. It was good timing.”
Wheaton North did have a few more chances but shots from Sammy Schomig, Riley Winckler and Sarah Brcka did not find the mark.
The result was in doubt until the final minute, when the Tigers played keepaway until Schwerin put the exclamation point on the victory.
“Give credit to Wheaton North,” Callipari said. “They’re well-coached and designed in a way to be successful.
“They had a couple looks at the end. It was a crazy game.”
While the result gave the Tigers a boost going into the postseason where they expect to make a long run, it provided a reminder to the Falcons, who closed a tough-luck regular season with a six-game winless streak. Of North’s 13 losses, seven have been by one goal, including one in double overtime, and three others by two goals.
“We’ve had a week and a half where we’ve gone into overtime or had one-goal games against Neuqua and Metea and Naperville Central,’ McEvilly said. “We should know by now that it’s not just one half that’s going to win you a game against quality competition, and South has got some very dangerous players. (That is Callipari’s) best attacking team he’s had in a while.”
For the unheralded Oberhelman, the result provided a fantastic feeling.
“It was just really fun,” Oberhelman said. “It’s just great to have a team like this who push through the entire way, even when times get tough like in the second half. It was really satisfying.”
Starting lineups
Wheaton North
GK Ava Lynch
D Michaela Van Meter
D Jaden Trometer
D Kristen Szumski
D Hannah Swider
M Sara Brcka
M Abby Atkinson
M Anna Warfield
F Rose Quinn
F Kailee Sowers
F Sammie Schomig
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Maria Dohse
D Sam Buol
D Molly Fank
D Claire Kiple
M Allie Anderson
M Audrey Siebert
M Julia Cox
M Jennifer Aalbue
F Paige Miller
F Morgan Schwerin
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Morgan Schwerin, sr., F, Wheaton Warrenville South.
Scoring summary
First half
Wheaton Warrenville South – Rebecca Oberhelman (Allie Anderson) 24:41
Second half
Wheaton North – Jaden Trometer (unassisted) 26:02
Wheaton Warrenville South – Morgan Schwerin (unassisted) 12:06
Wheaton Warrenville South – Schwerin (Claire Kiple) :01