Young's win over Jones has deja vu feel
Lisanti scores game-winner again, this time in 79th minute
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- It only feels like a simulation. Whatever you want to call it, a knack or eternal recurrence. The precocity of Mia Lisanti is something to watch. So is her ability to stage the dramatic.
A sophomore forward at Young, Lisanti emerged a year ago as a heady and nervy young talent who demonstrated a remarkable ability at creating outsized drama, a late goal here, a flourish there. For the second-straight year, Jones felt her sting.
Lisanti freed herself in a vulnerable seam in the Eagles’ backline and drilled a rocket shot inside the far post from about 17 yards in the 79th minute that catapulted the Dolphins to a thrilling 2-1 Chicago Public League Premier Division victory over Jones on Wednesday night at Lane Stadium.
Last April 21st, Lisanti recorded the game-winner in the Dolphins’ 1-0 conference win over Jones. Like then, Lisanti earned Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match recognition for her heroics.
“Last year I was in the box, and I ended up getting it onto my right foot, and I spun around a defender, and I was pretty close as I took the shot,” Lisanti said. “This time our defense did a really great job of building from the back. There have been plays we have tried to practice trying to get the defenders to switch the point and (move) the ball over. The other freshman Meaghan (Jungels) played a really great ball past the defense, and I was just able to get in behind them, because I don’t think they were aware of me.”
Jungels pushed the ball down the right edge in delivering her cross. The game-winner culminated a wild and incident-packed second half. All of the scoring happened inside the final 28 minutes of play. Jones’ own young bright talent, freshman midfielder Carmen Marshall, forged the tie at 1-1 apiece by scoring off a throw-in during the 70th minute.
The equalizer certainly captured the Dolphins’ attention. Just moments before her winning goal, Lisanti nearly finished a header off a corner kick.
“We didn’t want to lay back at all,” Lisanti said. “We still wanted to win the game. We were not going to be content with a tie, because we knew we could win it. Just pushing and pushing kept us in it. We knew if we could just finish, we had a few good chances. Their goalie (Devin Barry) is really good, and when I saw her come out I just knew I had to put it over, and it worked out.”
Young coach Spero Mandakas was especially pleased given the scoring sequence developed from the very scenario the Dolphins (2-3-0, 2-0-0) developed and designed in practice.
“We talked about that at halftime,” he said. “As the ball goes over, their defense was shifting over hard. Meaghan, a freshman, played a great ball over the top. Mia calmly took the one touch and put it away. It was good to get that after kind of score after basically giving one away. It was good to see us come back after getting scored on.”
Jones has made extraordinary strides in its soccer history under the direction of coach Derek Bylsma, including its first ever appearance in the city title game last year. One elusive part has been defeating Young. Jones has never downed the Dolphins.
“Five games in a row we have lost by one goal,” Bylsma said. “It’s disappointing. The thing that is really interesting was Whitney really celebrated after the win. For us, for teams like Whitney and Lane to be celebrating because they beat us is a good thing. It used to be they stepped off the field, and it was just expected.
“It’s not expected anymore, and people know we are coming.”
Despite playing without senior forward Avery Kaplan, the team’s leading scorer, Jones engineered the better play in the first half. Marshall and Laura Rios, another freshman midfielder, each had shots inside the box that were just narrowly pushed wide of the mark.
Jones (3-1-1, 0-1-0) managed the early upper hand. Young’s defense ensured a scoreless first half. Senior keeper Gaby Lukanus, the normal backup who also plays forward, stepped in for an injured Mia Engelmann.
The Dolphins were blindsided the first week of competition playing against talented offenses.
“After last week, our defense got put under a ton of pressure,” Mandakas said. “We talked about the mistakes, and we learned from them. Every day we got better. Today was so much better, worlds better. Addie (Schlensker) and Lauren (Ehlers) in the middle were cleaning everything up. We didn’t really give them anything solid until the bouncing ball in the back.”
Some of the youngest players on the field impacted the game from all angles. Both coaches showed an admirable willingness to not hold back their youth. Young generated greater scoring threats, off corner kicks, in the second half. Youth and chance took hold.
Off a corner in the 52nd minute, freshman midfielder Anniliese Kelner wedged between two Eagles’ defenders inside the box and ripped home a shot inside the far post from about 14 yards that broke the scoreless tie. Lisanti’s creativity, off a quick pass, set up the score.
“It was a corner, and Mia and I and a couple of other people were in the box and then the ball just came to me, and I volleyed it in,” said Kelner. “Just being aware of what’s around you really helps.”
Jones’ senior defender Gabriela Baxtrom, the architect of the backline, returned to play after hurting her leg in a game last week against St. Ignatius. The team has posted three shutouts in this early stage of the season. The Eagles are becoming more comfortable with their altered formation.
“This is our second year of only playing three in the back,” Baxtrom said. “The first year was kind of rocky, but we worked through it, and we got second in the city, and that was a key reason. This year, we are keeping the same formation, and we have worked hard to learn how to either compact or expand as quickly as possible.”
The result was disappointing, but not shattering or deflating according to Bylsma. The Eagles remain a program on the rise. Two sophomore midfielders, Martina Bianchi and Natalie Loos, impressed again with their compelling blend of size, skill and presence. The Eagles, said their coach, just need more time to jell.
“I really felt good about our effort,” he said. “I thought we worked really hard. This is what we always ask of these guys. I’d be really worried if our effort was bad. I know, as coaches, that we can fix the technical issues, and we can make sure we don’t give up those two goals. Those are things we will fix. By the end of the year, when this really matters, we want to go and win a city championship.
“We know we will have to see them again, so we will look forward to that.”
Energized by two conference victories, Young is playing two games in South Carolina during spring break next week. Jones is playing Bulls Prep on Friday before the start of its break. It is clear both teams are going to factor into the top of the city standings.
“We’re liking the position we are in,” Mandakas said. “We gave one away (against Payton) last year early and that put us in a bad spot. We’re still in a spot where we control our destiny. I’m glad we stayed on top of everything today.”
Starting lineups
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Gabriela Baxtrom
D: Arnessa Kallaba
D: Catherine Lorden
MF: Laura Rios
MF: Carmen Marshall
MF: Martina Bianchi
MF: Izzy Kamba
MF: Priya Charles
F: Rachel Sohn
F: Lauren Nichols
Young
GK: Gaby Lukanus
D: Kyra Sobel
D: Meaghan Jungels
D: Lauren Ehlers
D: Addie Schlensker
MF: Keila Vega
MF: Sara Woods
MF: Jessica O’Donnell
F: Sophie Putrim
F: Mia Lisanti
F: Eleanor Sherline
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Mia Lisanti, Young, soph., F
Scoring summary
Second half
Young—Anniliese Kelner (Mia Lisanti), 52nd minute
Jones—Carmen Marshall, 70th minute
Young—Lisanti (Meaghan Jungels), 79th minute
Lisanti scores game-winner again, this time in 79th minute
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- It only feels like a simulation. Whatever you want to call it, a knack or eternal recurrence. The precocity of Mia Lisanti is something to watch. So is her ability to stage the dramatic.
A sophomore forward at Young, Lisanti emerged a year ago as a heady and nervy young talent who demonstrated a remarkable ability at creating outsized drama, a late goal here, a flourish there. For the second-straight year, Jones felt her sting.
Lisanti freed herself in a vulnerable seam in the Eagles’ backline and drilled a rocket shot inside the far post from about 17 yards in the 79th minute that catapulted the Dolphins to a thrilling 2-1 Chicago Public League Premier Division victory over Jones on Wednesday night at Lane Stadium.
Last April 21st, Lisanti recorded the game-winner in the Dolphins’ 1-0 conference win over Jones. Like then, Lisanti earned Chicagoland Soccer's MVP of the Match recognition for her heroics.
“Last year I was in the box, and I ended up getting it onto my right foot, and I spun around a defender, and I was pretty close as I took the shot,” Lisanti said. “This time our defense did a really great job of building from the back. There have been plays we have tried to practice trying to get the defenders to switch the point and (move) the ball over. The other freshman Meaghan (Jungels) played a really great ball past the defense, and I was just able to get in behind them, because I don’t think they were aware of me.”
Jungels pushed the ball down the right edge in delivering her cross. The game-winner culminated a wild and incident-packed second half. All of the scoring happened inside the final 28 minutes of play. Jones’ own young bright talent, freshman midfielder Carmen Marshall, forged the tie at 1-1 apiece by scoring off a throw-in during the 70th minute.
The equalizer certainly captured the Dolphins’ attention. Just moments before her winning goal, Lisanti nearly finished a header off a corner kick.
“We didn’t want to lay back at all,” Lisanti said. “We still wanted to win the game. We were not going to be content with a tie, because we knew we could win it. Just pushing and pushing kept us in it. We knew if we could just finish, we had a few good chances. Their goalie (Devin Barry) is really good, and when I saw her come out I just knew I had to put it over, and it worked out.”
Young coach Spero Mandakas was especially pleased given the scoring sequence developed from the very scenario the Dolphins (2-3-0, 2-0-0) developed and designed in practice.
“We talked about that at halftime,” he said. “As the ball goes over, their defense was shifting over hard. Meaghan, a freshman, played a great ball over the top. Mia calmly took the one touch and put it away. It was good to get that after kind of score after basically giving one away. It was good to see us come back after getting scored on.”
Jones has made extraordinary strides in its soccer history under the direction of coach Derek Bylsma, including its first ever appearance in the city title game last year. One elusive part has been defeating Young. Jones has never downed the Dolphins.
“Five games in a row we have lost by one goal,” Bylsma said. “It’s disappointing. The thing that is really interesting was Whitney really celebrated after the win. For us, for teams like Whitney and Lane to be celebrating because they beat us is a good thing. It used to be they stepped off the field, and it was just expected.
“It’s not expected anymore, and people know we are coming.”
Despite playing without senior forward Avery Kaplan, the team’s leading scorer, Jones engineered the better play in the first half. Marshall and Laura Rios, another freshman midfielder, each had shots inside the box that were just narrowly pushed wide of the mark.
Jones (3-1-1, 0-1-0) managed the early upper hand. Young’s defense ensured a scoreless first half. Senior keeper Gaby Lukanus, the normal backup who also plays forward, stepped in for an injured Mia Engelmann.
The Dolphins were blindsided the first week of competition playing against talented offenses.
“After last week, our defense got put under a ton of pressure,” Mandakas said. “We talked about the mistakes, and we learned from them. Every day we got better. Today was so much better, worlds better. Addie (Schlensker) and Lauren (Ehlers) in the middle were cleaning everything up. We didn’t really give them anything solid until the bouncing ball in the back.”
Some of the youngest players on the field impacted the game from all angles. Both coaches showed an admirable willingness to not hold back their youth. Young generated greater scoring threats, off corner kicks, in the second half. Youth and chance took hold.
Off a corner in the 52nd minute, freshman midfielder Anniliese Kelner wedged between two Eagles’ defenders inside the box and ripped home a shot inside the far post from about 14 yards that broke the scoreless tie. Lisanti’s creativity, off a quick pass, set up the score.
“It was a corner, and Mia and I and a couple of other people were in the box and then the ball just came to me, and I volleyed it in,” said Kelner. “Just being aware of what’s around you really helps.”
Jones’ senior defender Gabriela Baxtrom, the architect of the backline, returned to play after hurting her leg in a game last week against St. Ignatius. The team has posted three shutouts in this early stage of the season. The Eagles are becoming more comfortable with their altered formation.
“This is our second year of only playing three in the back,” Baxtrom said. “The first year was kind of rocky, but we worked through it, and we got second in the city, and that was a key reason. This year, we are keeping the same formation, and we have worked hard to learn how to either compact or expand as quickly as possible.”
The result was disappointing, but not shattering or deflating according to Bylsma. The Eagles remain a program on the rise. Two sophomore midfielders, Martina Bianchi and Natalie Loos, impressed again with their compelling blend of size, skill and presence. The Eagles, said their coach, just need more time to jell.
“I really felt good about our effort,” he said. “I thought we worked really hard. This is what we always ask of these guys. I’d be really worried if our effort was bad. I know, as coaches, that we can fix the technical issues, and we can make sure we don’t give up those two goals. Those are things we will fix. By the end of the year, when this really matters, we want to go and win a city championship.
“We know we will have to see them again, so we will look forward to that.”
Energized by two conference victories, Young is playing two games in South Carolina during spring break next week. Jones is playing Bulls Prep on Friday before the start of its break. It is clear both teams are going to factor into the top of the city standings.
“We’re liking the position we are in,” Mandakas said. “We gave one away (against Payton) last year early and that put us in a bad spot. We’re still in a spot where we control our destiny. I’m glad we stayed on top of everything today.”
Starting lineups
Jones
GK: Devin Barry
D: Gabriela Baxtrom
D: Arnessa Kallaba
D: Catherine Lorden
MF: Laura Rios
MF: Carmen Marshall
MF: Martina Bianchi
MF: Izzy Kamba
MF: Priya Charles
F: Rachel Sohn
F: Lauren Nichols
Young
GK: Gaby Lukanus
D: Kyra Sobel
D: Meaghan Jungels
D: Lauren Ehlers
D: Addie Schlensker
MF: Keila Vega
MF: Sara Woods
MF: Jessica O’Donnell
F: Sophie Putrim
F: Mia Lisanti
F: Eleanor Sherline
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Mia Lisanti, Young, soph., F
Scoring summary
Second half
Young—Anniliese Kelner (Mia Lisanti), 52nd minute
Jones—Carmen Marshall, 70th minute
Young—Lisanti (Meaghan Jungels), 79th minute