Mother McAuley's work on PKs stops Young
Late PK rebound goal, GK Caitlin Fitzsimons power Mighty Macs
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- In soccer, the easiest and illogical judgement an outsider makes is the apparent ease of the penalty kick. Seemingly, what could be easier than converting from 12 yards out with only the keeper to solve.
“It’s easy to preach, but once you step up there and it is just you and the keeper it comes down to how strong you are mentally,” Young star midfielder Mia Lisanti said.
“We didn’t stay composed, and the keeper made a couple of good saves, and we didn’t do our job. Mia [Engelmann] gave us a good save, and usually in a shootout you just need one or two saves by your keeper and you expect the team to make the rest. We didn’t do that. We didn’t have our heads in it.”
Mother McAuley keeper Caitlin Fitzsimons made two spectacular saves and blanked the Dolphins’ four shooters for the 2-0 shootout victory in four rounds for the Chicago Cup semifinal victory Friday at St. Ignatius.
“Mainly when I go up there, I pick a side when I go for it, and I just hope it is the side they shoot towards,” Fitzsimons said. “Honestly I just go with my gut and hope for the best.
“Saving the first one put me in a better place for the next shots. It just boosted me, and I have my confidence in myself.”
Mother McAuley and Lane were declared co-champions after the heavy rain and snow forced the cancelation of the planned Saturday night championship game at the University of Chicago.
McAuley (15-2-1) forced the shootout as senior defender Nikki Murphy pounced on a blocked penalty kick by Young keeper Mia Engelmann in the 78th minute.
Lisanti appeared to punch the Dolphins’ ticket to the championship when she broke free late and scored in the 72nd minute for Young’s 2-1 lead. A random Young handball in the box set up Grace Hynes’s penalty kick opening goal for Mother McAuley.
Engelmann made a great diving stop to her right. The Dolphins could not get the clearance.
“I think everybody was just a little shocked to get a handball like that in the last three minutes,” Lisanti said. “We just froze, and you could see five white jerseys and zero, maybe one blue jersey. So they deserved that goal, because they went in. And we didn’t do the dirty work to get it out from Mia.
“She made an unbelievable save. It was a great shot, and we didn’t back her up.”
Young (12-5-1) saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end. The Dolphins dealt host St. Ignatius, ranked fifth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, its first loss of the season with the 3-2 victory in group play Monday. Freshman forward Ella Koleno, a star in the making with the game-winner in that game, picked up where she left off.
Off a counter, Koleno took a deep ball from defender Lauren Ehlers and completed a beautiful wheel turn as she shielded the defender with her back to the ball before quickly changing directions and delivering a beautiful ball into the net in the third minute for a stunning Young start.
“The goal at the beginning was hard to come back from, and you just have to keep your head high and keep talking to the defense and make sure their confidence in you is still there,” Fitzsimons said. “You just have to continue to play. That first goal was rough, but we knew we still had almost 80 minutes to get our own, which we did.”
Young maintained its sharp play throughout the opening half. Freshman forward Alexis Sassower hit the crossbar on a ball from the top of the box. Ella Koleno had two other shots that just pulled wide of the frame.
The inability to create greater separation from their opponent came back to haunt the Dolphins.
“That has been our Achilles’ heel,” first-year coach Ross LaBeaux said. “When you play good teams, you have to finish your opportunities. I preach that to them all the time. We have to finish out games for 80 minutes. Had we been able to get the second or the third goal, we’d have been in a better place to finish out the game. If you keep teams within striking distance, they can punish you.”
The Mighty Macs feature seven players from the girls’ basketball team that finished 34-3 and lost to unbeaten Maine West in the Class 4A state championship game. Grace Hynes, who is set to play basketball at the University of Chicago, was the basketball team’s second leading scorer. The other forward, Jenna Badali, led the team with 15 points a game.
Nikki Murphy, who scored the equalizer late, was a starting guard.
The soccer coach, Denny Clanton, a former Waubonsie Valley star, is married to the girls’ basketball coach Ashley Luke Clanton, who was a great scorer for the Warriors hoopers. Luke Clanton recently resigned her position at Mother McAuley for a high profile girls’ job in Georgia.
Even with the win the soccer coach suggests there is more in the tank.
“I have seven players that are really more basketball players than soccer players,” Denny Clanton said. “We are depleted and missing some players. Our mantra the whole year has been never give up. We fight hard. We try to stay as organized as we can.”
Grace Hynes scored her team-best 20th goal in the 44th minute off on a beautiful volley off a free kick from Abbie Grobarcik, the set piece specialist. Hynes and Fitzsimons shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
“Normally Abbie puts it in a really good spot, and I can read it,” Hynes said. “I got lucky and the ball fell right at my feet, and I made a good strike right up and under the crossbar. It was a good pass and a good goal.”
The physical and aggressive style of the Mighty Macs seemed to throw Lisanti off her rhythm for much of the night. Struggling to find her pace and control with the ball, she appeared to be pressing.
“This was a personal game for me, because I play club with five of those girls,” Lisanti said. “We lost to them last year, and we felt like we could beat them. When you get two or three opportunities, and they have strong clearances or stoppages, you get a little frustrated.
“Toward the end of the game we were making things happen and getting chances that boosted our confidence. We didn’t let down, and we ended up getting that late goal. We were doing our job, and it was an errant handball -- not the way we wanted to end it.”
Engelmann stopped the Macs’ first shooter, Grobarcik, with a superb diving save of her own. Hynes drilled her shot in the upper left corner, and Julissa Gomez also converted.
“In penalties, anything can happen,” Clanton said. “If you are a goalie and you are active, at least you get a shooter thinking. If the shooter starts second guessing and you are confident as a goalie, that is half the battle.
“Caitlin did an awesome job.”
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Mia Engelmann
D: Carson Herman
D: Adele Schelensker
D: Lauren Ehlers
D: Megan Jungels
MF: Sydney Koleno
MF: Ella Koleno
MF: Annelise Kelner
F: Audrey Howaniec
F: Mia Lisanti
F: Alexis Sassower
Mother McAuley
GK: Caitlin Fitzsimons
D: Caroline Docherty
D: Angelina Garcia
D: Nikki Murphy
D: Brenna Keaty
MF: Maeve Sheridan
MF: Veronica Zapata
MF: Jane Hynes
MF: Abigail Grobarcik
F: Jenna Badali
F: Grace Hynes
Chicagoland Soccer co-MVPs of the Match: Caitlin Fitzsimons, jr., GK, Mother McAuley
Grace Hynes, sr., F, Mother McAuley
Scoring summary
First half
Young—Ella Koleno (Lauren Ehlers), 3rd minute
Second half
McAuley—Grace Hynes (Abigail Grobarcik), 44th minute
Young—Mia Lisanti (Ella Koleno), 72nd minute
McAuley—Nikki Murphy (Hynes), 78th minute
Shootout
Young—Alexis Sassower (saved), Carina Barillas (saved), Ella Koleno (off right post), Audrey Howaniec (off left post)
McAuley—Abigail Grobarcik (saved), Grace Hynes (make), Julissa Gomez (make)
Late PK rebound goal, GK Caitlin Fitzsimons power Mighty Macs
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- In soccer, the easiest and illogical judgement an outsider makes is the apparent ease of the penalty kick. Seemingly, what could be easier than converting from 12 yards out with only the keeper to solve.
“It’s easy to preach, but once you step up there and it is just you and the keeper it comes down to how strong you are mentally,” Young star midfielder Mia Lisanti said.
“We didn’t stay composed, and the keeper made a couple of good saves, and we didn’t do our job. Mia [Engelmann] gave us a good save, and usually in a shootout you just need one or two saves by your keeper and you expect the team to make the rest. We didn’t do that. We didn’t have our heads in it.”
Mother McAuley keeper Caitlin Fitzsimons made two spectacular saves and blanked the Dolphins’ four shooters for the 2-0 shootout victory in four rounds for the Chicago Cup semifinal victory Friday at St. Ignatius.
“Mainly when I go up there, I pick a side when I go for it, and I just hope it is the side they shoot towards,” Fitzsimons said. “Honestly I just go with my gut and hope for the best.
“Saving the first one put me in a better place for the next shots. It just boosted me, and I have my confidence in myself.”
Mother McAuley and Lane were declared co-champions after the heavy rain and snow forced the cancelation of the planned Saturday night championship game at the University of Chicago.
McAuley (15-2-1) forced the shootout as senior defender Nikki Murphy pounced on a blocked penalty kick by Young keeper Mia Engelmann in the 78th minute.
Lisanti appeared to punch the Dolphins’ ticket to the championship when she broke free late and scored in the 72nd minute for Young’s 2-1 lead. A random Young handball in the box set up Grace Hynes’s penalty kick opening goal for Mother McAuley.
Engelmann made a great diving stop to her right. The Dolphins could not get the clearance.
“I think everybody was just a little shocked to get a handball like that in the last three minutes,” Lisanti said. “We just froze, and you could see five white jerseys and zero, maybe one blue jersey. So they deserved that goal, because they went in. And we didn’t do the dirty work to get it out from Mia.
“She made an unbelievable save. It was a great shot, and we didn’t back her up.”
Young (12-5-1) saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end. The Dolphins dealt host St. Ignatius, ranked fifth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, its first loss of the season with the 3-2 victory in group play Monday. Freshman forward Ella Koleno, a star in the making with the game-winner in that game, picked up where she left off.
Off a counter, Koleno took a deep ball from defender Lauren Ehlers and completed a beautiful wheel turn as she shielded the defender with her back to the ball before quickly changing directions and delivering a beautiful ball into the net in the third minute for a stunning Young start.
“The goal at the beginning was hard to come back from, and you just have to keep your head high and keep talking to the defense and make sure their confidence in you is still there,” Fitzsimons said. “You just have to continue to play. That first goal was rough, but we knew we still had almost 80 minutes to get our own, which we did.”
Young maintained its sharp play throughout the opening half. Freshman forward Alexis Sassower hit the crossbar on a ball from the top of the box. Ella Koleno had two other shots that just pulled wide of the frame.
The inability to create greater separation from their opponent came back to haunt the Dolphins.
“That has been our Achilles’ heel,” first-year coach Ross LaBeaux said. “When you play good teams, you have to finish your opportunities. I preach that to them all the time. We have to finish out games for 80 minutes. Had we been able to get the second or the third goal, we’d have been in a better place to finish out the game. If you keep teams within striking distance, they can punish you.”
The Mighty Macs feature seven players from the girls’ basketball team that finished 34-3 and lost to unbeaten Maine West in the Class 4A state championship game. Grace Hynes, who is set to play basketball at the University of Chicago, was the basketball team’s second leading scorer. The other forward, Jenna Badali, led the team with 15 points a game.
Nikki Murphy, who scored the equalizer late, was a starting guard.
The soccer coach, Denny Clanton, a former Waubonsie Valley star, is married to the girls’ basketball coach Ashley Luke Clanton, who was a great scorer for the Warriors hoopers. Luke Clanton recently resigned her position at Mother McAuley for a high profile girls’ job in Georgia.
Even with the win the soccer coach suggests there is more in the tank.
“I have seven players that are really more basketball players than soccer players,” Denny Clanton said. “We are depleted and missing some players. Our mantra the whole year has been never give up. We fight hard. We try to stay as organized as we can.”
Grace Hynes scored her team-best 20th goal in the 44th minute off on a beautiful volley off a free kick from Abbie Grobarcik, the set piece specialist. Hynes and Fitzsimons shared the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
“Normally Abbie puts it in a really good spot, and I can read it,” Hynes said. “I got lucky and the ball fell right at my feet, and I made a good strike right up and under the crossbar. It was a good pass and a good goal.”
The physical and aggressive style of the Mighty Macs seemed to throw Lisanti off her rhythm for much of the night. Struggling to find her pace and control with the ball, she appeared to be pressing.
“This was a personal game for me, because I play club with five of those girls,” Lisanti said. “We lost to them last year, and we felt like we could beat them. When you get two or three opportunities, and they have strong clearances or stoppages, you get a little frustrated.
“Toward the end of the game we were making things happen and getting chances that boosted our confidence. We didn’t let down, and we ended up getting that late goal. We were doing our job, and it was an errant handball -- not the way we wanted to end it.”
Engelmann stopped the Macs’ first shooter, Grobarcik, with a superb diving save of her own. Hynes drilled her shot in the upper left corner, and Julissa Gomez also converted.
“In penalties, anything can happen,” Clanton said. “If you are a goalie and you are active, at least you get a shooter thinking. If the shooter starts second guessing and you are confident as a goalie, that is half the battle.
“Caitlin did an awesome job.”
Starting lineups
Young
GK: Mia Engelmann
D: Carson Herman
D: Adele Schelensker
D: Lauren Ehlers
D: Megan Jungels
MF: Sydney Koleno
MF: Ella Koleno
MF: Annelise Kelner
F: Audrey Howaniec
F: Mia Lisanti
F: Alexis Sassower
Mother McAuley
GK: Caitlin Fitzsimons
D: Caroline Docherty
D: Angelina Garcia
D: Nikki Murphy
D: Brenna Keaty
MF: Maeve Sheridan
MF: Veronica Zapata
MF: Jane Hynes
MF: Abigail Grobarcik
F: Jenna Badali
F: Grace Hynes
Chicagoland Soccer co-MVPs of the Match: Caitlin Fitzsimons, jr., GK, Mother McAuley
Grace Hynes, sr., F, Mother McAuley
Scoring summary
First half
Young—Ella Koleno (Lauren Ehlers), 3rd minute
Second half
McAuley—Grace Hynes (Abigail Grobarcik), 44th minute
Young—Mia Lisanti (Ella Koleno), 72nd minute
McAuley—Nikki Murphy (Hynes), 78th minute
Shootout
Young—Alexis Sassower (saved), Carina Barillas (saved), Ella Koleno (off right post), Audrey Howaniec (off left post)
McAuley—Abigail Grobarcik (saved), Grace Hynes (make), Julissa Gomez (make)