WWS upsets Metea V. in tourney quarters
No. 23 Wheaton Warrenville S. takes down no. 6 Mustangs 4-2
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA -- Tournament seeds and poll rankings never guarantee results.
That’s why the PepsiCo Showdown’s “Army Bracket" would require a slight edit to its original lyrics ala “as those upsets go rolling along.”
Wheaton Warrenville South, which rejoined the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 this week after a stay in honorable mention, snared a 4-2 victory in a visit to Metea Valley, which moved up in the rankings after upsetting Naperville North last week.
Tuesday’s results helped account for how a 16-school field produced several surprising seeds among the Final Four pairing: top-seeded St. Charles North vs. no. 13 Libertyville, and no. 10 Wheaton Warrenville South vs. no. 6 Wauconda. Normal expectations would be the 1-seed vs. the 4-seed, and the 2-seed vs. the 3-seed.
Of course using Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, the outcomes, and matchups, are more easily understood and anticipated: no. 3-ranked St. Charles North now has a Thursday date with no. 8-rated Libertyville while no. 5 Wauconda faces no. 23 Wheaton Warrenville South. Four Top 25 squads aiming for a title, that’s more like it.
“It’s okay if people still believe we’re underdogs,” Wheaton Warrenville South’s Maria Dohse shrugged. “We know we’re not afraid to play anyone, and we like proving it.”
The Tigers (now 5-1-0) did just that by scoring first in both halves and then responding each time host Metea closed the gap.
“South wanted it a little more than we did,” Mustangs coach Chris Whaley acknowledged.
Both teams entered aiming to build a three-game win streak, but Wheaton Warrenville South claimed the achievement thanks in part to set play success. Paige Miller’s offensive performance, and Dohse’s contributions at both ends of the pitch that earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match status, led the way
“Defensively Maria essentially orchestrated a whole new backline for us and did that well while we were facing one of the best offensive players we’ve seen thus far,” veteran coach Guy Callipari said. “No. 18 (Maeve Riordan) is hard to handle, but Maria was key to us limiting her chances.
“For our attack, what we do generally has to start in back and move forward. There was a point we were on our heels, and she provided us with a little more insurance,” Callipari noted. “She had a real nice goal and made the most of an opportunity to add to the offense.”
That was in reference to the Tigers expanding a 2-1 halftime advantage into a two-goal lead with 26:20 still to be played. Miller had a textbook cross from the right side with Dohse timing a run perfectly for a diving nine-yard header.
“That’s one of our plays we practice. So when I saw Allison (Anderson) get the ball to Paige out wide and their defender went up, I was able to get behind her and closed my eyes while making contact,” Dohse explained. “It felt solid, and when I opened my eyes the ball was in the back of the net.”
Backtracking from that pivotal lead, Wheaton Warrenville South got off to a strong start, capitalizing on its first major opportunity. There was only 6:39 elapsed when Allie Anderson lined up a 26-yard free kick from the left side and sent the boot inside the right post.
Metea (6-3-0) equalized at 12:43. Though drawing additional attention from the South defense, the senior forward Riordan initiated a bang-bang sequence feeding Charlotte Ives for a quick touch-pass that led to Elmhurst-recruit Lauryn Wesoloski’s second goal of the season.
“At that point, the game had calmed down for us, and we were able to build for a finishing strike,” said Riordan.
However, the Tigers regained the edge in just 2:08 as Miller lasered a 31-yard free kick from the left wing that eluded Metea starting goalie Nikki Coryell and slipped inside the near left post.
“It felt awesome to get the goal and also to get us back in the lead,” said Miller, whose tally tied her for the team lead of four with Anderson.
Wheaton Warrenville South tried increasing the gap with an Audrey Siebert header 13:28 prior to intermission, but Coryell reached high for a catch and save just under the crossbar. The Mustangs goalie also made a grab on a challenge from Abby Becker.
“No doubt South gained some confidence off those dead ball scores,” Metea’s Whaley said. “The one was an unfortunate bounce and the end result was we had to hang in and fight. For the most part, I think they tried to dig in and battle, but it clearly wasn’t our best. I told them afterward they should be frustrated by that and use this as an incentive to get better and more consistent.”
South ultimately boosted its cushion to 3-1 on Dohse’s header which came against Metea’s Myah Schoolman, who took over in net for the second half.
But the Mustangs had a quick response. Riordan pounced on an Anna Grabow feed for a fastbreak. She cut back across the middle and cranked an 18-yard cannon shot. It was the fourth goal for the Illinois-bound Riordan and initial assist for Grabow.
“That was an awesome ball from Anna. Once I got past a defender and saw the keeper coming out, I just knocked it home,” Riordan said. “As much as I like to have goals, this is a team sport and team success is most important. Because of friends or clubs, it is a compliment to get double-teamed, but I keep that stuff out of my mind and just focus on the game and the next play at hand.”
Despite Metea Valley pressing for an equalizer, Wheaton Warrenville South’s defense continued to bend but not break, and the Tigers offense countered as often as possible. Schoolman made a catch to thwart a long shot from Sam Buol and rushed out enough to force an Evelyn Demsher attempt from the left to roll wide right of the far post.
Wheaton Warrenville South put the victory on ice with exactly one minute to be played when Miller earned her second assist of the evening with another textbook cross. This time it was Demsher tapping home an eight-yard strike.
“We’ve practiced that a lot and knowing Paige will deliver a good ball, it’s just a matter of getting behind a defender and being ready to finish it,” Demsher said. “When you’re in position and make a solid connection on the ball, it just feels so good.”
Miller admitted drawing the same pleasure from creating chances for her teammates.
“Having a part in a score is just as fulfilling because you want to work with your teammates. We like to feel everyone is a threat, and if we’re playing as a team, as long as we keep taking it forward and scoring, it’s awesome no matter who scores,” Miller said.
Last Saturday’s opening round win over Maine South was Callipari’s 350th-career win with the Wheaton Warrenville South girls program, and the team surprised him with a commemorative ball immediately after the match. Callipari is one of only four coaches in IHSA history to have recorded more than 300 victories with in both boys and girls programs.
“That just really says I’ve been very fortunate to have stayed out of the way while some very talented, skilled, and dedicated players and assistants have been a part of this program,” Callipari said.
On Thursday, South semifinal comes versus a Wauconda squad that advanced off a 2-1 triumph over a Saint Viator team. Before that the Bulldogs took out third-seeded Downers Grove North. No. 1 seed St. Charles North cruised past Plainfield North 6-1 while Libertyville advanced thanks to a 2-1 victory over Minooka. Libertyville used a shootout to eliminate four-seed Wheaton Academy.
Ultimately the two teams have a rematch in Wheaton on May 1 in a DuPage Valley Conference meeting. Each figures to be a key factor in the league race. In that regard, Wheaton Warrenville South will have history behind it for a little extra motivation -- Metea Valley defeated South by 1-0 tallies in their two previous DVC meetings.
Both teams follow this tournament with conference dates. Metea Valley hosts Waubonsie Valley on April 17. The Tigers have back-to-back league matches with Wheaton North in a rescheduled game at 7 p.m. at home April 16, followed by a trip to Naperville Central on April 17.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Abbie Brennan
D: Sam Buol
D: Molly Fank
D: Maria Dohse
D: Claire Kiple
M: Jennifer Aalbue
M: Allie Anderson
M: Evelyn Demsher
M: Paige Miller
F: Melissa Hadzic
F: Morgan Schwerin
Metea Valley
GK: Nikki Coryell
D: Morgan McCrary
D: Nicole Dawson
D: Paige Buranosky
D: Katy Flanders
M: Sophia Senese
M: Charlotte Ives
M: Chesney Wargo
M: Kayla Hurst
F: Lauryn Wesoloski
F: Maeve Riordan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Maria Dohse, jr., D,
Referees: Scott Lichtfuss (center), Jen Wegner, Arek Pugacewsiz
Game summary
Wheaton Warrenville South 4, Metea Valley 2
WW South 2 2 --- 4 (5-1-0)
Metea V 1 1 --- 2 (6-3-0)
Scoring
WWS – Anderson 26-yard free kick from left side inside far right post (unassisted), 6:39 gone
MV – Riordan 15-yarder from left of center inside right post (Ives assist), 12:43 gone
WWS – Miller 31-yard free kick from left wing inside near post (unassisted), 14:51 gone
WWS – Doshe solid 9-yard header near left post off right-side cross (Miller assist), 53:38 gone
MV – Riordan break-away run cutting back to center for 18-yard rocket (Grabow assist), 55:52 gone
WWS – Demsher 8-yard finishing touch off cross (Miller assist), 79:00 gone
Shots
WWS 6 – 10 --- 16
MV 3 – 2 --- 5
Shots on goal
WWS 4 – 6 --- 10
MV 2 – 1 --- 3
Saves (goalie)
WWS (Brennan) 1 – 0 --- 1
MV (Coryell) 2 – (Schoolman) 4 --- 6
Corner kicks
WWS 1 – 4 --- 5
MV 1 – 1 --- 2
Offsides
WWS 1 – 0 --- 1
MV 1 – 1 --- 2
No. 23 Wheaton Warrenville S. takes down no. 6 Mustangs 4-2
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA -- Tournament seeds and poll rankings never guarantee results.
That’s why the PepsiCo Showdown’s “Army Bracket" would require a slight edit to its original lyrics ala “as those upsets go rolling along.”
Wheaton Warrenville South, which rejoined the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 this week after a stay in honorable mention, snared a 4-2 victory in a visit to Metea Valley, which moved up in the rankings after upsetting Naperville North last week.
Tuesday’s results helped account for how a 16-school field produced several surprising seeds among the Final Four pairing: top-seeded St. Charles North vs. no. 13 Libertyville, and no. 10 Wheaton Warrenville South vs. no. 6 Wauconda. Normal expectations would be the 1-seed vs. the 4-seed, and the 2-seed vs. the 3-seed.
Of course using Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, the outcomes, and matchups, are more easily understood and anticipated: no. 3-ranked St. Charles North now has a Thursday date with no. 8-rated Libertyville while no. 5 Wauconda faces no. 23 Wheaton Warrenville South. Four Top 25 squads aiming for a title, that’s more like it.
“It’s okay if people still believe we’re underdogs,” Wheaton Warrenville South’s Maria Dohse shrugged. “We know we’re not afraid to play anyone, and we like proving it.”
The Tigers (now 5-1-0) did just that by scoring first in both halves and then responding each time host Metea closed the gap.
“South wanted it a little more than we did,” Mustangs coach Chris Whaley acknowledged.
Both teams entered aiming to build a three-game win streak, but Wheaton Warrenville South claimed the achievement thanks in part to set play success. Paige Miller’s offensive performance, and Dohse’s contributions at both ends of the pitch that earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match status, led the way
“Defensively Maria essentially orchestrated a whole new backline for us and did that well while we were facing one of the best offensive players we’ve seen thus far,” veteran coach Guy Callipari said. “No. 18 (Maeve Riordan) is hard to handle, but Maria was key to us limiting her chances.
“For our attack, what we do generally has to start in back and move forward. There was a point we were on our heels, and she provided us with a little more insurance,” Callipari noted. “She had a real nice goal and made the most of an opportunity to add to the offense.”
That was in reference to the Tigers expanding a 2-1 halftime advantage into a two-goal lead with 26:20 still to be played. Miller had a textbook cross from the right side with Dohse timing a run perfectly for a diving nine-yard header.
“That’s one of our plays we practice. So when I saw Allison (Anderson) get the ball to Paige out wide and their defender went up, I was able to get behind her and closed my eyes while making contact,” Dohse explained. “It felt solid, and when I opened my eyes the ball was in the back of the net.”
Backtracking from that pivotal lead, Wheaton Warrenville South got off to a strong start, capitalizing on its first major opportunity. There was only 6:39 elapsed when Allie Anderson lined up a 26-yard free kick from the left side and sent the boot inside the right post.
Metea (6-3-0) equalized at 12:43. Though drawing additional attention from the South defense, the senior forward Riordan initiated a bang-bang sequence feeding Charlotte Ives for a quick touch-pass that led to Elmhurst-recruit Lauryn Wesoloski’s second goal of the season.
“At that point, the game had calmed down for us, and we were able to build for a finishing strike,” said Riordan.
However, the Tigers regained the edge in just 2:08 as Miller lasered a 31-yard free kick from the left wing that eluded Metea starting goalie Nikki Coryell and slipped inside the near left post.
“It felt awesome to get the goal and also to get us back in the lead,” said Miller, whose tally tied her for the team lead of four with Anderson.
Wheaton Warrenville South tried increasing the gap with an Audrey Siebert header 13:28 prior to intermission, but Coryell reached high for a catch and save just under the crossbar. The Mustangs goalie also made a grab on a challenge from Abby Becker.
“No doubt South gained some confidence off those dead ball scores,” Metea’s Whaley said. “The one was an unfortunate bounce and the end result was we had to hang in and fight. For the most part, I think they tried to dig in and battle, but it clearly wasn’t our best. I told them afterward they should be frustrated by that and use this as an incentive to get better and more consistent.”
South ultimately boosted its cushion to 3-1 on Dohse’s header which came against Metea’s Myah Schoolman, who took over in net for the second half.
But the Mustangs had a quick response. Riordan pounced on an Anna Grabow feed for a fastbreak. She cut back across the middle and cranked an 18-yard cannon shot. It was the fourth goal for the Illinois-bound Riordan and initial assist for Grabow.
“That was an awesome ball from Anna. Once I got past a defender and saw the keeper coming out, I just knocked it home,” Riordan said. “As much as I like to have goals, this is a team sport and team success is most important. Because of friends or clubs, it is a compliment to get double-teamed, but I keep that stuff out of my mind and just focus on the game and the next play at hand.”
Despite Metea Valley pressing for an equalizer, Wheaton Warrenville South’s defense continued to bend but not break, and the Tigers offense countered as often as possible. Schoolman made a catch to thwart a long shot from Sam Buol and rushed out enough to force an Evelyn Demsher attempt from the left to roll wide right of the far post.
Wheaton Warrenville South put the victory on ice with exactly one minute to be played when Miller earned her second assist of the evening with another textbook cross. This time it was Demsher tapping home an eight-yard strike.
“We’ve practiced that a lot and knowing Paige will deliver a good ball, it’s just a matter of getting behind a defender and being ready to finish it,” Demsher said. “When you’re in position and make a solid connection on the ball, it just feels so good.”
Miller admitted drawing the same pleasure from creating chances for her teammates.
“Having a part in a score is just as fulfilling because you want to work with your teammates. We like to feel everyone is a threat, and if we’re playing as a team, as long as we keep taking it forward and scoring, it’s awesome no matter who scores,” Miller said.
Last Saturday’s opening round win over Maine South was Callipari’s 350th-career win with the Wheaton Warrenville South girls program, and the team surprised him with a commemorative ball immediately after the match. Callipari is one of only four coaches in IHSA history to have recorded more than 300 victories with in both boys and girls programs.
“That just really says I’ve been very fortunate to have stayed out of the way while some very talented, skilled, and dedicated players and assistants have been a part of this program,” Callipari said.
On Thursday, South semifinal comes versus a Wauconda squad that advanced off a 2-1 triumph over a Saint Viator team. Before that the Bulldogs took out third-seeded Downers Grove North. No. 1 seed St. Charles North cruised past Plainfield North 6-1 while Libertyville advanced thanks to a 2-1 victory over Minooka. Libertyville used a shootout to eliminate four-seed Wheaton Academy.
Ultimately the two teams have a rematch in Wheaton on May 1 in a DuPage Valley Conference meeting. Each figures to be a key factor in the league race. In that regard, Wheaton Warrenville South will have history behind it for a little extra motivation -- Metea Valley defeated South by 1-0 tallies in their two previous DVC meetings.
Both teams follow this tournament with conference dates. Metea Valley hosts Waubonsie Valley on April 17. The Tigers have back-to-back league matches with Wheaton North in a rescheduled game at 7 p.m. at home April 16, followed by a trip to Naperville Central on April 17.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK: Abbie Brennan
D: Sam Buol
D: Molly Fank
D: Maria Dohse
D: Claire Kiple
M: Jennifer Aalbue
M: Allie Anderson
M: Evelyn Demsher
M: Paige Miller
F: Melissa Hadzic
F: Morgan Schwerin
Metea Valley
GK: Nikki Coryell
D: Morgan McCrary
D: Nicole Dawson
D: Paige Buranosky
D: Katy Flanders
M: Sophia Senese
M: Charlotte Ives
M: Chesney Wargo
M: Kayla Hurst
F: Lauryn Wesoloski
F: Maeve Riordan
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Maria Dohse, jr., D,
Referees: Scott Lichtfuss (center), Jen Wegner, Arek Pugacewsiz
Game summary
Wheaton Warrenville South 4, Metea Valley 2
WW South 2 2 --- 4 (5-1-0)
Metea V 1 1 --- 2 (6-3-0)
Scoring
WWS – Anderson 26-yard free kick from left side inside far right post (unassisted), 6:39 gone
MV – Riordan 15-yarder from left of center inside right post (Ives assist), 12:43 gone
WWS – Miller 31-yard free kick from left wing inside near post (unassisted), 14:51 gone
WWS – Doshe solid 9-yard header near left post off right-side cross (Miller assist), 53:38 gone
MV – Riordan break-away run cutting back to center for 18-yard rocket (Grabow assist), 55:52 gone
WWS – Demsher 8-yard finishing touch off cross (Miller assist), 79:00 gone
Shots
WWS 6 – 10 --- 16
MV 3 – 2 --- 5
Shots on goal
WWS 4 – 6 --- 10
MV 2 – 1 --- 3
Saves (goalie)
WWS (Brennan) 1 – 0 --- 1
MV (Coryell) 2 – (Schoolman) 4 --- 6
Corner kicks
WWS 1 – 4 --- 5
MV 1 – 1 --- 2
Offsides
WWS 1 – 0 --- 1
MV 1 – 1 --- 2