Shootout halts WWS run
Tigers fall in PKs to Conant after 100 minutes of scoreless soccer
By Dave Owen
GENEVA – In Wheaton Warrenville South’s season of incredible improvement, it took soccer’s version of a coin flip to finally derail the Tigers.
After playing Conant (15-5-3) to a 0-0 tie through 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime in Tuesday’s Class 3A Geneva sectional semifinals, Wheaton Warrenville South (15-8-0) faced its first penalty kick session of 2018 to decide the match.
In what amounts to a split-second guessing game of shooter vs. goalkeeper, the soccer gods didn't side with the Tigers, who are ranked 20th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. While the first four Conant shooters converted, Wheaton Warrenville South’s only PK scores came from Paige Miller (second shooter) and Molly Fank (fourth).
When Conant sophomore Delaney Hoye collected the fourth Cougars’ PK, the verdict was sealed.
“I just tried to stay calm going up for the kick,” Hoye said. “My hands were shaking. It was definitely stressful.
“I just wanted to help the seniors in their last year. If I missed there was a possibility we would end the seniors’ season, so I just wanted to make it for them. I’m just glad that we won.”
The narrow loss ended the Tigers’ longest postseason run since reaching sectionals in 2013.
But the anguish of Tuesday aside, the best may be yet to come for a very young Wheaton Warrenville South squad.
“The nucleus of the team will return, most of the starters minus two,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “And we’ve been playing people in those roles to try to get more acclimated and mature in their play. We expect to be back here next year hopefully.
“We haven’t been here in awhile, so this is new territory for us. I know there’s a bitter taste with regards to the result, but let’s try to remember that the next time we’re in this position. That one more run, that one more shot, one more tackle, whatever it takes next time to get through that door to a sectional championship.”
Junior Allie Anderson was part of a talented nucleus for the Tigers that helped the squad more than double its 2017 win total of seven.
“I’m very impressed (with) my team,” Anderson said. “We didn’t stop at anything or back down from any team, and I think that’s something to be so proud of.
“And we played so hard. Top 10 teams had trouble dealing with us, and (to reach) the semifinals of the sectionals – this is so much farther than we went last year. The improvement is unreal.”
And Tuesday’s heartbreaker provides added drive to improve more going into the offseason.
“Last year going out in the first round (of regionals) was definitely some inspiration going into this playoffs,” Anderson said, “and definitely getting to the semifinals of sectionals, we’re going to try to go even farther.
“And we have so much more confidence in ourselves. So next year is going to be so good. We’re going to be strong, and we’re going to be mature.”
Wheaton Warrenville South showed plenty of strength Tuesday, but waves of near misses and strong play by Conant’s defense and senior goalkeeper Taylor Cyr resulted in a frustrating goose egg.
That frustration reached its peak in the PKs, when Cyr guessed right to make a diving stop on the first Tigers shot. After a Tigers conversion on shot no. two, third shooter Anderson sent her try inches wide.
“It was a tough loss,” Anderson said. “It’s hard because we should have won it.
“But next year we have to come back and do better, be stronger. We have one more year – at least I do. It’s unlucky that it (the PK) missed, but I’ll learn from this.”
Anderson was a threat throughout the match, even from seemingly unlikely distance.
In the 26th minute, Anderson won a 50-50 ball far from the net and launched a low 40-yard rocket.
But Conant goalkeeper Cyr made a tough short-hop deflection of the shot wide of the net. Then on Anderson’s ensuing corner kick, Cyr nicely swatted the high send out of danger.
That sequence would encapsulate the ultimate story of the day – Tigers chances denied by the Cougars defense and their active senior keeper.
“We knew the key was stopping their wings (Anderson and Morgan Schwerin),” Conant coach Jason Franco said. “They (the Tigers) have dynamic wing players. And I thought we did an outstanding job on their high forward (Paige Miller), who’s a really good player. If you can neutralize those three, you can keep it low scoring.”
And come PKs, Conant, which was listed among the honorable mention teams in the final regular season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, had big reason for confidence.
“If we went to penalties I thought we had a little advantage because our goalie (Cyr) has playing phenomenally on them,” Franco said. “Every time we do it in training, she saves two or three out of the five.
“We were fortunate they missed them, but I think her presence in there is part of the reason.”
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Cyr’s presence was felt throughout the day – until the postgame, when she rushed back to Hoffman Estates moments after the prolonged two-hour match for graduation ceremonies.
That left other Cougars to come up with superlatives to describe a hard-fought win.
“Super gritty,” Franco said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty on our end. We don’t have the athletes and the skill to go a possession type of game with them. We had to make it ugly, get it hard hitting, and we executed. And we got good defensive work out of everybody. I thought it was a heck of a team effort.”
Said Hoye: “They (Wheaton Warrenville South) had a great offensive attack. They had a ton of speed on the sidelines, but our two outside backs did a great job of tracking back. And our outside wingers came back too, which was really helpful because their wings were obviously extremely fast. They made it hard on us.”
The Tigers closed the first half on the attack. On a play initiated by a 50-50 ball win from Maddie Monaco and an Audrey Siebert push upfield in the 35th minute, Melisa Hadzic’s dish set up fellow freshman Becca Hauenstein for a 20-yard shot. But Cyr denied the scoring bid with a diving stop at the left post.
Then 3:05 before halftime, Sam Buol’s well-struck send from the left sideline just missed connection with a streaking Miller near the back post.
Wheaton Warrenville South’s defense was also tested late in the half – goalkeeper Abbie Brennan made a nice save on a 12-yard try by standout Conant striker Stephanie Mazurek, followed by the junior's nice touch pass in the 36th minute set up a Sarah Dugue shot just wide of the left post.
“You have to give credit to them,” Callipari said of Conant. “I was really surprised by their energy, and how they compacted and moved off the ball nicely. They challenged for everything, and it was really difficult for us to get into any sense of rhythm and continuity in our play.
“We almost had to play like them, with a sense of urgency, and then it became two prizefighters going toe to toe and nobody wanting to make that mistake or give an inch in the final thirds.”
The punch-counterpunch battle picked right up again after halftime.
First, it was the Tigers. An Anderson corner kick two minutes in resulted in a Fank 10-yard header that spun just wide of the left post. Then with 34:50 left in regulation, Anderson again showed her powerful leg with a 50-yard one-timer that Cyr had to reach high to save.
Twin Conant chances 10 minutes in were thwarted by Claire Kiple (a nice block in front of the net and clear) and Brennan (a save on a 25-yard Jess Smeltzer liner).
Then it was Wheaton Warrenville South back on the attack.
In a six-minute span, Schwerin’s nice right side cross went just wide of the back post was followed by Cyr saves on 10-yard shots from Evelyn Demsher (a diving save on a nice dribble between defenders and low shot) and Hadzic (off nice passes from Anderson and Miller).
“There were some openings, some opportunities, and it’s on us,” Callipari said. “When we look in the mirror, we had the chances, and we didn’t finish those chances. So we left ourselves susceptible at the end.”
The Tigers’ last big chance of regulation came with 12:15 left, Off a nice Kiple 50-50 win and Hauenstein cross, Siebert’s header skipped just over the crossbar.
The Wheaton Warrenville South defense impressed with 1:05 to go before overtime, when Brennan and defender Maria Dohse combined to deflect a 6-yard Mazurek end line shot wide. Dohse then headed away the ensuing corner kick, setting up a counterattack that ended with a shot block of Jennifer Aalbue’s 30-yard try.
Wheaton Warrenville South had the best of few chances in the two overtime sessions (an Anderson 41-yard free kick wide left in the first OT, and an Anderson corner kick swatted away by Cyr with 5:40 left in the second session).
Then came the PKs.
“Credit to them (Conant) – they were calm and collected and put their (PKs) away, and we didn’t finish ours,” Callipari said. “But that’s how the game goes. It’s not always fair and not always pretty.”
But stepping back to look at the entire season, 2018 was a gorgeous step forward for the Tigers.
Helping set the leadership tone for huge achievements was a five-member senior class led by Kiple and Schwerin.
“When you’re not the majority in numbers, it’s hard to rule (as seniors),” Callipari said. “But I think they got the respect and were able to bestow the leadership that was needed because they’ve been here.
“And they do a great job – the integrity and character and their personalities is such that they’re champions on and off the field. So all we needed to do was follow that.”
With a talented 11-member junior class plus two sophomore starters (Aalbue and Buol) providing a huge spark on the field, the Tigers roared to success despite playing in the talent-rich DuPage Valley Conference.
“We finished under .500 last year, and there was hunger. There was work ethic,” Callipari said. “There was understanding of each other, and being coachable. They bought into a platform that works for them, and they had a lot of success with it.
“Getting 15 wins with our type of schedule and our conference is pretty remarkable. So that’s one of those benchmarks.”
And with the majority of the squad back, the bar has been raised.
“Ten wins is good, 15 wins is excellent,” Callipari said, “and now we’re looking for 20 because I think only two teams in the history of our program have ever done that. So that’ll be a goal next year for us.”
Starting lineups
Conant
GK Taylor Cyr
D Maddie Kuffel
D Delaney Hoye
D Bella Grebenor
D Morgan Ragusin
M Juliana Madonia
M Neida Ocampo
M Miranda Glennon
M Jess Smeltzer
F Stephanie Mazurek
F Valeria Moreno
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Claire Kiple
D Sam Buol
D Maria Dohse
D Molly Fank
M Evelyn Demsher
M Allie Anderson
M Jennifer Aalbue
M Audrey Siebert
F Paige Miller
F Morgan Schwerin
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Taylor Cyr, sr. GK, Conant
Scoring summary
Conant 0-0-0-0-4 4
WWS 0-0-0-0-2 2
PK conversions
Conant: Miranda Glennon, Neida Ocampo, Stephanie Mazurek, Delaney Hoye
WWS: Paige Miller (2nd shooter), Molly Fank (4th shooter)
Tigers fall in PKs to Conant after 100 minutes of scoreless soccer
By Dave Owen
GENEVA – In Wheaton Warrenville South’s season of incredible improvement, it took soccer’s version of a coin flip to finally derail the Tigers.
After playing Conant (15-5-3) to a 0-0 tie through 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime in Tuesday’s Class 3A Geneva sectional semifinals, Wheaton Warrenville South (15-8-0) faced its first penalty kick session of 2018 to decide the match.
In what amounts to a split-second guessing game of shooter vs. goalkeeper, the soccer gods didn't side with the Tigers, who are ranked 20th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. While the first four Conant shooters converted, Wheaton Warrenville South’s only PK scores came from Paige Miller (second shooter) and Molly Fank (fourth).
When Conant sophomore Delaney Hoye collected the fourth Cougars’ PK, the verdict was sealed.
“I just tried to stay calm going up for the kick,” Hoye said. “My hands were shaking. It was definitely stressful.
“I just wanted to help the seniors in their last year. If I missed there was a possibility we would end the seniors’ season, so I just wanted to make it for them. I’m just glad that we won.”
The narrow loss ended the Tigers’ longest postseason run since reaching sectionals in 2013.
But the anguish of Tuesday aside, the best may be yet to come for a very young Wheaton Warrenville South squad.
“The nucleus of the team will return, most of the starters minus two,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “And we’ve been playing people in those roles to try to get more acclimated and mature in their play. We expect to be back here next year hopefully.
“We haven’t been here in awhile, so this is new territory for us. I know there’s a bitter taste with regards to the result, but let’s try to remember that the next time we’re in this position. That one more run, that one more shot, one more tackle, whatever it takes next time to get through that door to a sectional championship.”
Junior Allie Anderson was part of a talented nucleus for the Tigers that helped the squad more than double its 2017 win total of seven.
“I’m very impressed (with) my team,” Anderson said. “We didn’t stop at anything or back down from any team, and I think that’s something to be so proud of.
“And we played so hard. Top 10 teams had trouble dealing with us, and (to reach) the semifinals of the sectionals – this is so much farther than we went last year. The improvement is unreal.”
And Tuesday’s heartbreaker provides added drive to improve more going into the offseason.
“Last year going out in the first round (of regionals) was definitely some inspiration going into this playoffs,” Anderson said, “and definitely getting to the semifinals of sectionals, we’re going to try to go even farther.
“And we have so much more confidence in ourselves. So next year is going to be so good. We’re going to be strong, and we’re going to be mature.”
Wheaton Warrenville South showed plenty of strength Tuesday, but waves of near misses and strong play by Conant’s defense and senior goalkeeper Taylor Cyr resulted in a frustrating goose egg.
That frustration reached its peak in the PKs, when Cyr guessed right to make a diving stop on the first Tigers shot. After a Tigers conversion on shot no. two, third shooter Anderson sent her try inches wide.
“It was a tough loss,” Anderson said. “It’s hard because we should have won it.
“But next year we have to come back and do better, be stronger. We have one more year – at least I do. It’s unlucky that it (the PK) missed, but I’ll learn from this.”
Anderson was a threat throughout the match, even from seemingly unlikely distance.
In the 26th minute, Anderson won a 50-50 ball far from the net and launched a low 40-yard rocket.
But Conant goalkeeper Cyr made a tough short-hop deflection of the shot wide of the net. Then on Anderson’s ensuing corner kick, Cyr nicely swatted the high send out of danger.
That sequence would encapsulate the ultimate story of the day – Tigers chances denied by the Cougars defense and their active senior keeper.
“We knew the key was stopping their wings (Anderson and Morgan Schwerin),” Conant coach Jason Franco said. “They (the Tigers) have dynamic wing players. And I thought we did an outstanding job on their high forward (Paige Miller), who’s a really good player. If you can neutralize those three, you can keep it low scoring.”
And come PKs, Conant, which was listed among the honorable mention teams in the final regular season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, had big reason for confidence.
“If we went to penalties I thought we had a little advantage because our goalie (Cyr) has playing phenomenally on them,” Franco said. “Every time we do it in training, she saves two or three out of the five.
“We were fortunate they missed them, but I think her presence in there is part of the reason.”
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match Cyr’s presence was felt throughout the day – until the postgame, when she rushed back to Hoffman Estates moments after the prolonged two-hour match for graduation ceremonies.
That left other Cougars to come up with superlatives to describe a hard-fought win.
“Super gritty,” Franco said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty on our end. We don’t have the athletes and the skill to go a possession type of game with them. We had to make it ugly, get it hard hitting, and we executed. And we got good defensive work out of everybody. I thought it was a heck of a team effort.”
Said Hoye: “They (Wheaton Warrenville South) had a great offensive attack. They had a ton of speed on the sidelines, but our two outside backs did a great job of tracking back. And our outside wingers came back too, which was really helpful because their wings were obviously extremely fast. They made it hard on us.”
The Tigers closed the first half on the attack. On a play initiated by a 50-50 ball win from Maddie Monaco and an Audrey Siebert push upfield in the 35th minute, Melisa Hadzic’s dish set up fellow freshman Becca Hauenstein for a 20-yard shot. But Cyr denied the scoring bid with a diving stop at the left post.
Then 3:05 before halftime, Sam Buol’s well-struck send from the left sideline just missed connection with a streaking Miller near the back post.
Wheaton Warrenville South’s defense was also tested late in the half – goalkeeper Abbie Brennan made a nice save on a 12-yard try by standout Conant striker Stephanie Mazurek, followed by the junior's nice touch pass in the 36th minute set up a Sarah Dugue shot just wide of the left post.
“You have to give credit to them,” Callipari said of Conant. “I was really surprised by their energy, and how they compacted and moved off the ball nicely. They challenged for everything, and it was really difficult for us to get into any sense of rhythm and continuity in our play.
“We almost had to play like them, with a sense of urgency, and then it became two prizefighters going toe to toe and nobody wanting to make that mistake or give an inch in the final thirds.”
The punch-counterpunch battle picked right up again after halftime.
First, it was the Tigers. An Anderson corner kick two minutes in resulted in a Fank 10-yard header that spun just wide of the left post. Then with 34:50 left in regulation, Anderson again showed her powerful leg with a 50-yard one-timer that Cyr had to reach high to save.
Twin Conant chances 10 minutes in were thwarted by Claire Kiple (a nice block in front of the net and clear) and Brennan (a save on a 25-yard Jess Smeltzer liner).
Then it was Wheaton Warrenville South back on the attack.
In a six-minute span, Schwerin’s nice right side cross went just wide of the back post was followed by Cyr saves on 10-yard shots from Evelyn Demsher (a diving save on a nice dribble between defenders and low shot) and Hadzic (off nice passes from Anderson and Miller).
“There were some openings, some opportunities, and it’s on us,” Callipari said. “When we look in the mirror, we had the chances, and we didn’t finish those chances. So we left ourselves susceptible at the end.”
The Tigers’ last big chance of regulation came with 12:15 left, Off a nice Kiple 50-50 win and Hauenstein cross, Siebert’s header skipped just over the crossbar.
The Wheaton Warrenville South defense impressed with 1:05 to go before overtime, when Brennan and defender Maria Dohse combined to deflect a 6-yard Mazurek end line shot wide. Dohse then headed away the ensuing corner kick, setting up a counterattack that ended with a shot block of Jennifer Aalbue’s 30-yard try.
Wheaton Warrenville South had the best of few chances in the two overtime sessions (an Anderson 41-yard free kick wide left in the first OT, and an Anderson corner kick swatted away by Cyr with 5:40 left in the second session).
Then came the PKs.
“Credit to them (Conant) – they were calm and collected and put their (PKs) away, and we didn’t finish ours,” Callipari said. “But that’s how the game goes. It’s not always fair and not always pretty.”
But stepping back to look at the entire season, 2018 was a gorgeous step forward for the Tigers.
Helping set the leadership tone for huge achievements was a five-member senior class led by Kiple and Schwerin.
“When you’re not the majority in numbers, it’s hard to rule (as seniors),” Callipari said. “But I think they got the respect and were able to bestow the leadership that was needed because they’ve been here.
“And they do a great job – the integrity and character and their personalities is such that they’re champions on and off the field. So all we needed to do was follow that.”
With a talented 11-member junior class plus two sophomore starters (Aalbue and Buol) providing a huge spark on the field, the Tigers roared to success despite playing in the talent-rich DuPage Valley Conference.
“We finished under .500 last year, and there was hunger. There was work ethic,” Callipari said. “There was understanding of each other, and being coachable. They bought into a platform that works for them, and they had a lot of success with it.
“Getting 15 wins with our type of schedule and our conference is pretty remarkable. So that’s one of those benchmarks.”
And with the majority of the squad back, the bar has been raised.
“Ten wins is good, 15 wins is excellent,” Callipari said, “and now we’re looking for 20 because I think only two teams in the history of our program have ever done that. So that’ll be a goal next year for us.”
Starting lineups
Conant
GK Taylor Cyr
D Maddie Kuffel
D Delaney Hoye
D Bella Grebenor
D Morgan Ragusin
M Juliana Madonia
M Neida Ocampo
M Miranda Glennon
M Jess Smeltzer
F Stephanie Mazurek
F Valeria Moreno
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Abbie Brennan
D Claire Kiple
D Sam Buol
D Maria Dohse
D Molly Fank
M Evelyn Demsher
M Allie Anderson
M Jennifer Aalbue
M Audrey Siebert
F Paige Miller
F Morgan Schwerin
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Taylor Cyr, sr. GK, Conant
Scoring summary
Conant 0-0-0-0-4 4
WWS 0-0-0-0-2 2
PK conversions
Conant: Miranda Glennon, Neida Ocampo, Stephanie Mazurek, Delaney Hoye
WWS: Paige Miller (2nd shooter), Molly Fank (4th shooter)