WWS edges Batavia in season opener
Defender Kiple’s tally tips Tigers to 2-1 victory
By Steve Nemeth
BATAVIA -- Season openers basically serve as a starting point, seldom do they project the success or frustration yet to come.
Without research, how many could recall the outcome of game one for either Wheaton Warrenville South or Batavia in 2016 or better yet, last season?
So put Saturday’s Wheaton Warrenville South 2-1 triumph over host Batavia aside for a few weeks before drawing any definitive conclusions. If anything, the game may have been a better indicator of each team’s state of transition.
Yes the Bulldogs (0-1-0) lost their home debut, but they’re replacing a senior-laden 2017 crew that finished 14-4-2 after a 1-0 sectional loss to powerful St. Charles North. Chicagoland Soccer All-State honorees like goalie Jenny Scara or forward Keegan Maris are gone along with special mention player Cameron Hindel.
Nevertheless, Mark Gianfrancesco’s 2018 roster has enough talent to have earned recognition in the teams to watch in Chicagoland Soccer's preseason poll.
Wheaton Warrenville South also made the list even though veteran coach Guy Callipari’s program didn’t have any All-State or special mention in a 9-10-1 season. But the Tigers did have three players named to Chicagoland Soccer's All-State Watch List for underclassmen.
Clearly the visitors had a more experienced and maturing lineup that factored into the one-goal victory. The camaraderie -- like the passing -- was tighter for Wheaton Warrenville South, which gained a measure of revenge in answer to the earlier trivia question. Last year, Batavia pulled off a 2-1 road after having its original 2017 opener postponed. The prior 2016 season had the Bulldogs gain their second win by beating Wheaton Warrenville South 3-1 in what was the first of three-consecutive game ones for the Tigers against Batavia.
In both halves, Wheaton Warrenville South was quick to gain an edge. Only 7:51 into the match, Allie Anderson – from the aforementioned CS Watch List with teammates Paige Miller and Maria Dohse – executed a calculated gamble on a 29-yard direct kick from the left side.
“Knowing the turf was still a little slippery (despite a noon start under overcast skies after an overnight frost), I wanted to skip the shot,” Anderson explained. “Seeing the keeper leaning a little more toward the far post, I was hoping to curve it inside the near post.
“It was such a great feeling seeing it go in. I’m hoping to do more scoring this year and getting the first goal of the year in game one is an unbelievable start,” added Anderson, who is already committed to Northwestern.
The junior midfielder earned Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honor for much more than just giving her team a 1-0 lead. Anderson consistently made plays either on the attack or dropping back to bolster the Tiger defense.
“She really controlled things for us in midfield and demonstrated what we talked about in terms of performing on both ends of the field,” Callipari said. “Defensively she stripped them of a couple balls, and she’s always a threat on offense. That first goal coming on a dead ball situation is an example of how the defense has to factor her ability in what they do.”
As the initial half continued, Batavia began to create more opportunities to test Wheaton Warrenville South goalie Abbie Brennan. In particular, Gracey DiBiase challenged with her shooting and also her services from free or corner kicks. With 11 minutes left before half, a DiBiase corner and Zaira Solis header combination would have been an equalizer if not for junior defender Maddie Monaco’s save on the goal line.
“That was basically my assignment,” Monaco said. “The main instinct is to make sure you hit it solid to clear it away.”
Wheaton Warrenville South counterattacked with 5:10 still showing -- Paige Miller’s blast from the right wing failed to dip and instead rose just over the Batavia goal much to the relief of goalie Katelyn Turnquist.
At the other end it was Solis initiating another Bulldog effort. Her hard-struck attempt ricocheted some before Anna Holcombe’s last touch was followed by a tap-in for Grace Salyers. That tying strike came 3:14 prior to intermission.
“Seeing their goalie edging toward the near post I was hoping to get it inside the far post or maybe a teammate could get a deflection,” Solis noted. “I thought we had a lot of give-and-go passes that worked well today, so we need to build off of those.”
“Seeing the ball rolling free I just wanted to stick my leg in enough to score,” Salyers said. “I felt a defender on my right side, so I figured I was onside and just needed to hold my ground long enough to get a solid touch on the ball. It’s all about finishing opportunities, and we know the little details on any play are what can make the difference.”
Wheaton Warrenville South made another effort as the half was coming to a close, but a left wing try from Anderson neither found a teammate or enough curl and ultimately sailed wide of the far post.
That same desire to regain the lead fueled the Tigers once play resumed.
“Seeing Evelyn (Demsher) get control, Allie and I were both calling for the ball,” explained Claire Kiple. “When she slid it my way, I saw a window of opportunity. As a defender you don’t get that many of those so I couldn’t pass up that one. So scoring is special and to have it end up as the game-winning goal, that’s the best possible combination.”
Of course the senior defender quickly shifted to her role as a co-captain. “But without my teammates and everyone supporting each other and playing hard, that doesn’t become the game-winner,” Kiple stated.
Throughout the second half, Wheaton Warrenville South’s Miller and Anderson pelted the Batavia goal area. However with 16:04 left in regulation, it was a Cami Terkildsen try that caromed parallel to the crease for Morgan Schwerin to knock it to the back of the net. However, an offside ruling negated the potential two-goal lead for the Tigers.
Wheaton Warrenville South's defense held down the fort for the win.
“Maria (Dohse) deserves some praise for making tackles being both smart and aggressive,” Callipari added. “She did a nice job covering with three new players around her while facing a very skilled team."
Batavia combined additional shots from DiBiase with through-balls or overlaps that forced Brennan to race off the goal line for South. The Bulldogs Ashley Whelpley collided on at least three occasions with Brennan as both sprinted to the ball.
“Ashley did a good job up-top challenging their center backs several times,” Batavia’s Gianfrancesco said. “I thought we saw the potential for goals throughout. I might have preferred a few more in the second half, but overall I liked our connections.
“Believe we went about 15 deep and all of them made contributions,” Gianfrancesco noted. “Some good one- or two-touch passing and a big thing early in the year is to see how the team will react after giving up a goal. Do they put their head down and quit? That definitely wasn’t the case for us. We remained stout defensively and in pushing upfield, I liked our connections. Gracey (DiBiase) had a solid game and won a lot of 50-50s for us. Jenna (Nichols) stepped up a lot on defense in the middle and stayed composed under pressure.”
Those are all the type of positives the Batavia coach hopes his team carries into a Monday visit to Waubonsie Valley followed by a Tuesday home date with South Elgin.
Wheaton Warrenville South looks forward to Wednesday and Thursday home dates with Oswego East and Benet Academy.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Abbie Brennan
D: Molly Fank
D: Maria Dohse
D: Claire Kiple
M: Sam Buol
M: Jennifer Aalbue
M: Allie Anderson
M: Evelyn Demsher
F: Paige Miller
F: Audrey Siebert
F: Morgan Schwerin
Batavia
GK: Katelyn Turnquist
D: Gracey DiBiase
D: Jenna Nichols
D: Claire Stack
D: Amy TenHaken
D: Anna Bross
M: Abby Zipse
M: Anna Rakos
M: Bella Zink
F: Anna Holcombe
F: Zaira Solis
Chciagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Allie Anderson, jr., MF, Wheaton Warrenville South
Referees: Dave Holbrook (center), John Elenbaas, Tomas Zajaczkowski
Game summary
Wheaton Warrenville South 2, Batavia 1
WW South 1 1 --- 2
Batavia 1 0 --- 1
Scoring
WWS --- Anderson 29-yard free kick from left side inside near left post (unassisted), 7:51 gone
B --- Salyers tap-in finish out front (Solis, Holcombe assists), 36:46 gone
WWS --- Kiple opportunistic 16-yard rocket (Demsher assist), 45:59 gone
Overall Shots
WWS 3 – 10 ---- 13
B 4 – 4 ---- 8
Shots on goal
WWS 1 – 5 ---- 6
B 3 – 1 ---- 4
Saves (goalie)
WWS 2 (Brennan, D Monaco) – 1 ---- 3
B 0 (Turnquist) – 4 ---- 4
Corner Kicks
WWS 0 – 5 --- 5
B 1 – 3 --- 4
Offsides
WWS 0 – 1 --- 1
B 0 – 0 --- 0
Defender Kiple’s tally tips Tigers to 2-1 victory
By Steve Nemeth
BATAVIA -- Season openers basically serve as a starting point, seldom do they project the success or frustration yet to come.
Without research, how many could recall the outcome of game one for either Wheaton Warrenville South or Batavia in 2016 or better yet, last season?
So put Saturday’s Wheaton Warrenville South 2-1 triumph over host Batavia aside for a few weeks before drawing any definitive conclusions. If anything, the game may have been a better indicator of each team’s state of transition.
Yes the Bulldogs (0-1-0) lost their home debut, but they’re replacing a senior-laden 2017 crew that finished 14-4-2 after a 1-0 sectional loss to powerful St. Charles North. Chicagoland Soccer All-State honorees like goalie Jenny Scara or forward Keegan Maris are gone along with special mention player Cameron Hindel.
Nevertheless, Mark Gianfrancesco’s 2018 roster has enough talent to have earned recognition in the teams to watch in Chicagoland Soccer's preseason poll.
Wheaton Warrenville South also made the list even though veteran coach Guy Callipari’s program didn’t have any All-State or special mention in a 9-10-1 season. But the Tigers did have three players named to Chicagoland Soccer's All-State Watch List for underclassmen.
Clearly the visitors had a more experienced and maturing lineup that factored into the one-goal victory. The camaraderie -- like the passing -- was tighter for Wheaton Warrenville South, which gained a measure of revenge in answer to the earlier trivia question. Last year, Batavia pulled off a 2-1 road after having its original 2017 opener postponed. The prior 2016 season had the Bulldogs gain their second win by beating Wheaton Warrenville South 3-1 in what was the first of three-consecutive game ones for the Tigers against Batavia.
In both halves, Wheaton Warrenville South was quick to gain an edge. Only 7:51 into the match, Allie Anderson – from the aforementioned CS Watch List with teammates Paige Miller and Maria Dohse – executed a calculated gamble on a 29-yard direct kick from the left side.
“Knowing the turf was still a little slippery (despite a noon start under overcast skies after an overnight frost), I wanted to skip the shot,” Anderson explained. “Seeing the keeper leaning a little more toward the far post, I was hoping to curve it inside the near post.
“It was such a great feeling seeing it go in. I’m hoping to do more scoring this year and getting the first goal of the year in game one is an unbelievable start,” added Anderson, who is already committed to Northwestern.
The junior midfielder earned Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match honor for much more than just giving her team a 1-0 lead. Anderson consistently made plays either on the attack or dropping back to bolster the Tiger defense.
“She really controlled things for us in midfield and demonstrated what we talked about in terms of performing on both ends of the field,” Callipari said. “Defensively she stripped them of a couple balls, and she’s always a threat on offense. That first goal coming on a dead ball situation is an example of how the defense has to factor her ability in what they do.”
As the initial half continued, Batavia began to create more opportunities to test Wheaton Warrenville South goalie Abbie Brennan. In particular, Gracey DiBiase challenged with her shooting and also her services from free or corner kicks. With 11 minutes left before half, a DiBiase corner and Zaira Solis header combination would have been an equalizer if not for junior defender Maddie Monaco’s save on the goal line.
“That was basically my assignment,” Monaco said. “The main instinct is to make sure you hit it solid to clear it away.”
Wheaton Warrenville South counterattacked with 5:10 still showing -- Paige Miller’s blast from the right wing failed to dip and instead rose just over the Batavia goal much to the relief of goalie Katelyn Turnquist.
At the other end it was Solis initiating another Bulldog effort. Her hard-struck attempt ricocheted some before Anna Holcombe’s last touch was followed by a tap-in for Grace Salyers. That tying strike came 3:14 prior to intermission.
“Seeing their goalie edging toward the near post I was hoping to get it inside the far post or maybe a teammate could get a deflection,” Solis noted. “I thought we had a lot of give-and-go passes that worked well today, so we need to build off of those.”
“Seeing the ball rolling free I just wanted to stick my leg in enough to score,” Salyers said. “I felt a defender on my right side, so I figured I was onside and just needed to hold my ground long enough to get a solid touch on the ball. It’s all about finishing opportunities, and we know the little details on any play are what can make the difference.”
Wheaton Warrenville South made another effort as the half was coming to a close, but a left wing try from Anderson neither found a teammate or enough curl and ultimately sailed wide of the far post.
That same desire to regain the lead fueled the Tigers once play resumed.
“Seeing Evelyn (Demsher) get control, Allie and I were both calling for the ball,” explained Claire Kiple. “When she slid it my way, I saw a window of opportunity. As a defender you don’t get that many of those so I couldn’t pass up that one. So scoring is special and to have it end up as the game-winning goal, that’s the best possible combination.”
Of course the senior defender quickly shifted to her role as a co-captain. “But without my teammates and everyone supporting each other and playing hard, that doesn’t become the game-winner,” Kiple stated.
Throughout the second half, Wheaton Warrenville South’s Miller and Anderson pelted the Batavia goal area. However with 16:04 left in regulation, it was a Cami Terkildsen try that caromed parallel to the crease for Morgan Schwerin to knock it to the back of the net. However, an offside ruling negated the potential two-goal lead for the Tigers.
Wheaton Warrenville South's defense held down the fort for the win.
“Maria (Dohse) deserves some praise for making tackles being both smart and aggressive,” Callipari added. “She did a nice job covering with three new players around her while facing a very skilled team."
Batavia combined additional shots from DiBiase with through-balls or overlaps that forced Brennan to race off the goal line for South. The Bulldogs Ashley Whelpley collided on at least three occasions with Brennan as both sprinted to the ball.
“Ashley did a good job up-top challenging their center backs several times,” Batavia’s Gianfrancesco said. “I thought we saw the potential for goals throughout. I might have preferred a few more in the second half, but overall I liked our connections.
“Believe we went about 15 deep and all of them made contributions,” Gianfrancesco noted. “Some good one- or two-touch passing and a big thing early in the year is to see how the team will react after giving up a goal. Do they put their head down and quit? That definitely wasn’t the case for us. We remained stout defensively and in pushing upfield, I liked our connections. Gracey (DiBiase) had a solid game and won a lot of 50-50s for us. Jenna (Nichols) stepped up a lot on defense in the middle and stayed composed under pressure.”
Those are all the type of positives the Batavia coach hopes his team carries into a Monday visit to Waubonsie Valley followed by a Tuesday home date with South Elgin.
Wheaton Warrenville South looks forward to Wednesday and Thursday home dates with Oswego East and Benet Academy.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Abbie Brennan
D: Molly Fank
D: Maria Dohse
D: Claire Kiple
M: Sam Buol
M: Jennifer Aalbue
M: Allie Anderson
M: Evelyn Demsher
F: Paige Miller
F: Audrey Siebert
F: Morgan Schwerin
Batavia
GK: Katelyn Turnquist
D: Gracey DiBiase
D: Jenna Nichols
D: Claire Stack
D: Amy TenHaken
D: Anna Bross
M: Abby Zipse
M: Anna Rakos
M: Bella Zink
F: Anna Holcombe
F: Zaira Solis
Chciagoland Soccer MVP of the Match:
Allie Anderson, jr., MF, Wheaton Warrenville South
Referees: Dave Holbrook (center), John Elenbaas, Tomas Zajaczkowski
Game summary
Wheaton Warrenville South 2, Batavia 1
WW South 1 1 --- 2
Batavia 1 0 --- 1
Scoring
WWS --- Anderson 29-yard free kick from left side inside near left post (unassisted), 7:51 gone
B --- Salyers tap-in finish out front (Solis, Holcombe assists), 36:46 gone
WWS --- Kiple opportunistic 16-yard rocket (Demsher assist), 45:59 gone
Overall Shots
WWS 3 – 10 ---- 13
B 4 – 4 ---- 8
Shots on goal
WWS 1 – 5 ---- 6
B 3 – 1 ---- 4
Saves (goalie)
WWS 2 (Brennan, D Monaco) – 1 ---- 3
B 0 (Turnquist) – 4 ---- 4
Corner Kicks
WWS 0 – 5 --- 5
B 1 – 3 --- 4
Offsides
WWS 0 – 1 --- 1
B 0 – 0 --- 0