Young overcomes Curie plan
1st half goals drive Dolphins to 2-0 CPL playoff quarterfinal win
By Hunter Tickel
CHICAGO -- A little more than two weeks ago, Young handed Curie a 6-0 loss in Chicago Public League Premier Division play.
Curie (6-9-1) changed its tactics for the quarterfinal match of the Public League playoffs, opting to sit back in its defensive third to limit the Dolphins chances. It nearly worked.
“Today every single player out there was doing their best. We had our mentality set,” Condors senior forward Ashley Capetillo said. “I feel like we did really good.”
But second-seeded Young found a way to overcome the strategy to post a 2-0 win Saturday at Lane Stadium.
The win continued the Dolphins' CPL playoffs streak -- Young has competed in the Final Four every season since 1998. Next up is Payton at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Brooks High School.
“They changed it up and sat more players back,” Young coach Spero Mandakas said. “We talked about having patience. They came out with a lot of energy. They played intense. They stuck to their game plan. It really made it difficult for us. We had a lot of possession in our third and the middle third.”
Mandakas' made a decision to move sophomore forward Mia Lisanti from the middle to the wing early in the game. The switch paid off in the 20th minute.
Lisanti used a delayed run to receive a through-ball on the outside from Meaghan Jungels before finishing to make it 1-0.
Ten minutes later, the Dolphins (11-9-2) doubled their lead when senior forward Sophie Putrim scored after combining with senior forward Sara Woods. Woods was also moved up-top early in the match after starting in the center of midfield.
“Today we really wanted to pick up the intensity,” Putrim said. “We’ve been struggling with some injuries lately and a lot of back-to-back games. We wanted to not think about games earlier in the season, do what we have been working on in practice.”
Putrim believes the team can get stronger on offense.
“We’ve had a lot of chances (this season),” Putrim said. “We’ve been working on building up through the middle and attacking. We have to keep working on finishing in the final third.”
The Premier Division co-champs overcame the loss of two starters due to injuries -- senior midfielder Jessica O’Donnell and junior forward Audrey Howaniec.
In the second half Young had a clear possession advantage. The Dolphins played with less stress thanks to its two-goal lead and made Curie chase while they killed off the game. Carina Barillas play in the middle bolstered the winners’ play..
“I think we definitely focused on possession, especially once we got the lead,” Lisanti said. “Especially with the weather, it’s hard to come out as hard as possible. You could tell everyone was a little tiresome.”
Curie’s best chance of the game came in the 65th minute when senior forward Ashley Capetillo’s corner kick resulted in a failed clearance. She collected the ball on the right edge of the box and took a try. Her second effort was hit on the ground and bobbled by junior keeper Mia Engelmann in traffic, but Curie couldn’t get a clean touch on the rebound.
That was Young’s lone hiccup in a otherwise steady closing half.
“The first half was a little chaotic,” Barillas said. “The second half we settled it down. We made sure we took our time passing the ball and switching it back and forth. We got our heads set.
“We were determined to keep a shutout and make sure they didn’t get any opportunities on the goal. We let a few slip through but made sure they weren’t drastic.”
The effort was there from Curie who fought all the way up to the end of the match.
“It was pure teamwork and hard work,” Currie coach Pam Melinauskas said. “Those girls played to the very end. You could see in the final 20 seconds; we got a shot on goal. They put their heart and souls into this game.”
Despite the loss, Capetillo relished the stage and venue for Saturday’s quarterfinal.
“When we were playing Taft and (we won 1-0 May 2), it was pretty exciting, because we were told we were going to play Whitney Young at Lane Tech,” Capetillo said. “We don’t have as nice (of) a field at Curie. We are honored (to play) here at an amazing field against amazing players, as well.”
The seeds held in the tournament quarterfinals. Second-seeded Young will face third-seeded Payton. Top-seeded Lane, which tied the Dolphins for the top spot in the league table after a head-to-head 1-1 tie that saw both goals scored in the final 26 seconds, will face Jones in the first semifinal at 4 p.m.
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Mia Engelmann
D: Kyra Sobel
D: Addie Schlensker
D: Lauren Ehlers
D: Carson Herman
M: Olivia Putrim
M: Sarah Heise
M: Keila Vega
F: Mia Lisanti
F: Sara Woods
F: Sophie Putrim
Curie
GK: Maira Navarro
D: Ivethcitlaly Calderon
D: Corina Juarez
D: Jacqueline Gonzalez
D: Nectaly Mendoza
M: Karisma Zizumbo
M: Crystal Gamino
M: Anay Salas-Coronel
F: Jazmin Gonzalez
F: America Pineda
F: Ashley Capetillo
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Mia Lisanti, so., F, Whitney Young
Game summary
WY 2 0 --2
C 0 0 --0
Scoring
First Half
WY-- Lisanti (Jungels assist) 20th minute
WY-- Putrim (Woods assist) 30th minute
1st half goals drive Dolphins to 2-0 CPL playoff quarterfinal win
By Hunter Tickel
CHICAGO -- A little more than two weeks ago, Young handed Curie a 6-0 loss in Chicago Public League Premier Division play.
Curie (6-9-1) changed its tactics for the quarterfinal match of the Public League playoffs, opting to sit back in its defensive third to limit the Dolphins chances. It nearly worked.
“Today every single player out there was doing their best. We had our mentality set,” Condors senior forward Ashley Capetillo said. “I feel like we did really good.”
But second-seeded Young found a way to overcome the strategy to post a 2-0 win Saturday at Lane Stadium.
The win continued the Dolphins' CPL playoffs streak -- Young has competed in the Final Four every season since 1998. Next up is Payton at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Brooks High School.
“They changed it up and sat more players back,” Young coach Spero Mandakas said. “We talked about having patience. They came out with a lot of energy. They played intense. They stuck to their game plan. It really made it difficult for us. We had a lot of possession in our third and the middle third.”
Mandakas' made a decision to move sophomore forward Mia Lisanti from the middle to the wing early in the game. The switch paid off in the 20th minute.
Lisanti used a delayed run to receive a through-ball on the outside from Meaghan Jungels before finishing to make it 1-0.
Ten minutes later, the Dolphins (11-9-2) doubled their lead when senior forward Sophie Putrim scored after combining with senior forward Sara Woods. Woods was also moved up-top early in the match after starting in the center of midfield.
“Today we really wanted to pick up the intensity,” Putrim said. “We’ve been struggling with some injuries lately and a lot of back-to-back games. We wanted to not think about games earlier in the season, do what we have been working on in practice.”
Putrim believes the team can get stronger on offense.
“We’ve had a lot of chances (this season),” Putrim said. “We’ve been working on building up through the middle and attacking. We have to keep working on finishing in the final third.”
The Premier Division co-champs overcame the loss of two starters due to injuries -- senior midfielder Jessica O’Donnell and junior forward Audrey Howaniec.
In the second half Young had a clear possession advantage. The Dolphins played with less stress thanks to its two-goal lead and made Curie chase while they killed off the game. Carina Barillas play in the middle bolstered the winners’ play..
“I think we definitely focused on possession, especially once we got the lead,” Lisanti said. “Especially with the weather, it’s hard to come out as hard as possible. You could tell everyone was a little tiresome.”
Curie’s best chance of the game came in the 65th minute when senior forward Ashley Capetillo’s corner kick resulted in a failed clearance. She collected the ball on the right edge of the box and took a try. Her second effort was hit on the ground and bobbled by junior keeper Mia Engelmann in traffic, but Curie couldn’t get a clean touch on the rebound.
That was Young’s lone hiccup in a otherwise steady closing half.
“The first half was a little chaotic,” Barillas said. “The second half we settled it down. We made sure we took our time passing the ball and switching it back and forth. We got our heads set.
“We were determined to keep a shutout and make sure they didn’t get any opportunities on the goal. We let a few slip through but made sure they weren’t drastic.”
The effort was there from Curie who fought all the way up to the end of the match.
“It was pure teamwork and hard work,” Currie coach Pam Melinauskas said. “Those girls played to the very end. You could see in the final 20 seconds; we got a shot on goal. They put their heart and souls into this game.”
Despite the loss, Capetillo relished the stage and venue for Saturday’s quarterfinal.
“When we were playing Taft and (we won 1-0 May 2), it was pretty exciting, because we were told we were going to play Whitney Young at Lane Tech,” Capetillo said. “We don’t have as nice (of) a field at Curie. We are honored (to play) here at an amazing field against amazing players, as well.”
The seeds held in the tournament quarterfinals. Second-seeded Young will face third-seeded Payton. Top-seeded Lane, which tied the Dolphins for the top spot in the league table after a head-to-head 1-1 tie that saw both goals scored in the final 26 seconds, will face Jones in the first semifinal at 4 p.m.
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Mia Engelmann
D: Kyra Sobel
D: Addie Schlensker
D: Lauren Ehlers
D: Carson Herman
M: Olivia Putrim
M: Sarah Heise
M: Keila Vega
F: Mia Lisanti
F: Sara Woods
F: Sophie Putrim
Curie
GK: Maira Navarro
D: Ivethcitlaly Calderon
D: Corina Juarez
D: Jacqueline Gonzalez
D: Nectaly Mendoza
M: Karisma Zizumbo
M: Crystal Gamino
M: Anay Salas-Coronel
F: Jazmin Gonzalez
F: America Pineda
F: Ashley Capetillo
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Mia Lisanti, so., F, Whitney Young
Game summary
WY 2 0 --2
C 0 0 --0
Scoring
First Half
WY-- Lisanti (Jungels assist) 20th minute
WY-- Putrim (Woods assist) 30th minute