Young counters Payton attack
Dolphins post 2-0 win, remain undefeated in Premier
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- City soccer is a tight-knit world of solidarity, friendship and rivalries. At the best programs, the players have traveled very similar paths and likely negotiated very similar patterns. Memory is also central to the rhythms.
Of all the Young players who sought to exact some measure of payback against Payton, Audrey Howaniec had the most pressing personal account. The memory of Payton’s 1-0 victory last year was difficult enough.
Howaniec suffered a two-way loss.
“Last year I broke my collarbone in that game, so I was ready to come out today and play my hardest,” she said.
A versatile junior midfielder and forward, Howaniec has always brought speed and vision to produce an electric charge to juice up the Dolphins’ attack. She is comfortable anywhere, either starting or helping bring energy off the bench.
Howaniec wiped clean the jarring memory by blasting home a rebound goal in the 25th minute that provided the crucial momentum and punctuated the Premier victory with a late assist as the Dolphins vanquished Premier Division rival Payton 2-0 on Monday afternoon at Rockne Stadium on the city’s southwest side.
Howaniec scored her second goal of the year. She also earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction for her standout play. Young (4-4-0, 3-0-0) won for the fourth time in its last five games.
The Dolphins spent their spring break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and went 1-1 on the two-game road trip. That state has a no-tie rule; each game was decided by penalty kick shootout.
“In South Carolina we really bonded as a team and that helped with our communication,” Howaniec said. “I thought we actually played better in the game [against St. James] that we lost. We did a great job combining from the back. We also had a lot of time to train, so I do not think we were that tired today. The one issue today, we probably could have definitely passed better through the middle.”
Payton was also trying to make a statement. The Grizzlies (4-1-1, 1-1-0) have a proud history in Chicago Public League soccer. They are the only program other than Young or Lane to win a city title in the last decade. The team that defeated the Dolphins last year and qualified for the final four in the city championship has been redrawn and configured on the fly.
“I’d call us a very talented, young team led by some very good seniors,” Payton coach Paul Escobar said. With marquee talent and two-time all-state midfielder Vivian Gasca, the Grizzlies have been blessed with an influx of skilled youth. Escobar started five sophomores and a freshman.
“We were really into this game,” sophomore midfielder Hayley Owens said. “The coaches are really good friends, and they talk to each other all the time. Hannah Lynn, our senior keeper, said before the game that we have tied twice and we beat them last year. She said, ‘I am not going to lose this game today.’”
Few games ever have a standard line of thinking. The participants largely came away with a shared point of view. Payton looked great and had the more consistent possession time and quality of play. Young had the better finishing touches.
“We stole one today,” Young coach Spero Mandakas said. “I thought after how we played against St. James in South Carolina last week would transition over to today’s game. Our energy was just not there today.”
The seeds of the South Carolina games were there, especially what Howaniec identified as the opportunity of the offense to seize control through strategically played counters. The two Young goals were essentially written from the same script, counters that exposed vulnerable seams in the Grizzlies’ pressure that yielded an initial shot followed up by a rebound goal.
In the 25th minute, Young absorbed the Payton pressure and advanced the ball down the flank as junior midfielder Eleanor Sherline hammered a ball that Lynn deflected. Howaniec put away the second shot for the invaluable first tally.
“We know what is at stake when we go through our conference games,” Howaniec said. “We have some fast players, and we were able to play some through-balls that we were able to run onto. I was just fortunate to be able to capitalize on the chance that was there with the rebound.
“Getting that first goal helped us realize how now that we have the lead, we have to keep it and we could not relax.”
Conversely, the goal was fairly deflating experience for the Grizzlies who dominated the game only to suffer a breakdown.
“Every time we play Whitney Young it’s going to be an intense game,” Escobar said. “It’s also a physical game. That’s what we bring to the table, and so do they. I thought we did a good job of matching their intensity. Unfortunately we didn’t score on our chances, and they did on theirs.”
Payton is gaining confidence with each game -- that’s evident from the fluid and precise ways they got into the teeth of the Young defense. Owens was a revelation. She controlled much of the middle, showing excellent touch and vision in playing balls to the wings.
“Our style is to play forward and run onto it,” she said. “I’m playing center midfielder, and I definitely feel like I’m more of a playmaker now. We lost all of our seniors last year, and we have a lot of sophomores. We are very young, but we are very excited as we get older and more experienced to see what is going to happen.”
In the 50th minute, Payton generated tremendous opportunities. Owens served some beautiful corner kicks. Senior midfielder Fiona O’Brien appeared to produce the equalizer with a tough ball in traffic. The official ruled the ball touched but did not cross the line. A Young defender cleared out the ball.
“We were trying to let the game come to us, and Payton did everything to take it,” Mandakas said. “We made the saves that we had to make. We kept the ball in front of us, and we did not allow any through-balls that put the keeper in a dangerous situation. We have to do a better job in the middle. We can’t force our back to play defense for 75 minutes like that.”
Lynn, the savvy and experienced four-year starter, made four saves for the Grizzlies. She made a great diving stop off a rocket shot by Young standout sophomore Mia Lisanti in the 63rd minute that allowed Payton to hover dangerously close.
Young put the game away in the 74th minute. Howaniec was again at the center of the play, taking a ball down the left flank and drilling a shot from about 19 yards that required a strong Lynn deflection. Lisanti was perfectly placed for the rebound.
“They were good coming out of the back on the transition when we were high pressing,” Escobar said. “We got caught on that second goal, and that’s how they scored.”
Payton never gave up hope and fought into the very end. In the 80th minute, Owens had a free kick just outside the box after an illegal Young touch. Her shot deflected off the wall.
“As our coach told us, we have nothing to be ashamed of,” Owens said. “We played hard and fought. We just have to do a better job of finishing and capitalizing on our chances.”
Starting lineups
Payton
GK: Hannah Lynn
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Maddie Clerkin
MF: Nancy Krug
MF: Fiona O’Brien
MF: Emilia Wilke
MF: Hayley Owens
MF: Olivia Moore
F: Lindsey Holzman
F: Sophie Salem
Young
GK: Gaby Lukanus
D: Kyra Sobel
D: Meaghan Jungels
D: Lauren Ehlers
D: Addie Schlensker
MF: Keila Vega
MF: Mia Lisanti
MF: Jessica O’Donnell
F: Sophie Putrim
F: Sara Woods
F: Sarah Heise
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Audrey Howaniec, Young, jr., midfielder
Scoring summary
First half
Young—Audrey Howaniec (Eleanor Sherline), 25th minute
Second half
Young—Mia Lisanti (Howaniec), 74th minute
Dolphins post 2-0 win, remain undefeated in Premier
By Patrick Z. McGavin
CHICAGO -- City soccer is a tight-knit world of solidarity, friendship and rivalries. At the best programs, the players have traveled very similar paths and likely negotiated very similar patterns. Memory is also central to the rhythms.
Of all the Young players who sought to exact some measure of payback against Payton, Audrey Howaniec had the most pressing personal account. The memory of Payton’s 1-0 victory last year was difficult enough.
Howaniec suffered a two-way loss.
“Last year I broke my collarbone in that game, so I was ready to come out today and play my hardest,” she said.
A versatile junior midfielder and forward, Howaniec has always brought speed and vision to produce an electric charge to juice up the Dolphins’ attack. She is comfortable anywhere, either starting or helping bring energy off the bench.
Howaniec wiped clean the jarring memory by blasting home a rebound goal in the 25th minute that provided the crucial momentum and punctuated the Premier victory with a late assist as the Dolphins vanquished Premier Division rival Payton 2-0 on Monday afternoon at Rockne Stadium on the city’s southwest side.
Howaniec scored her second goal of the year. She also earned the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match distinction for her standout play. Young (4-4-0, 3-0-0) won for the fourth time in its last five games.
The Dolphins spent their spring break in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and went 1-1 on the two-game road trip. That state has a no-tie rule; each game was decided by penalty kick shootout.
“In South Carolina we really bonded as a team and that helped with our communication,” Howaniec said. “I thought we actually played better in the game [against St. James] that we lost. We did a great job combining from the back. We also had a lot of time to train, so I do not think we were that tired today. The one issue today, we probably could have definitely passed better through the middle.”
Payton was also trying to make a statement. The Grizzlies (4-1-1, 1-1-0) have a proud history in Chicago Public League soccer. They are the only program other than Young or Lane to win a city title in the last decade. The team that defeated the Dolphins last year and qualified for the final four in the city championship has been redrawn and configured on the fly.
“I’d call us a very talented, young team led by some very good seniors,” Payton coach Paul Escobar said. With marquee talent and two-time all-state midfielder Vivian Gasca, the Grizzlies have been blessed with an influx of skilled youth. Escobar started five sophomores and a freshman.
“We were really into this game,” sophomore midfielder Hayley Owens said. “The coaches are really good friends, and they talk to each other all the time. Hannah Lynn, our senior keeper, said before the game that we have tied twice and we beat them last year. She said, ‘I am not going to lose this game today.’”
Few games ever have a standard line of thinking. The participants largely came away with a shared point of view. Payton looked great and had the more consistent possession time and quality of play. Young had the better finishing touches.
“We stole one today,” Young coach Spero Mandakas said. “I thought after how we played against St. James in South Carolina last week would transition over to today’s game. Our energy was just not there today.”
The seeds of the South Carolina games were there, especially what Howaniec identified as the opportunity of the offense to seize control through strategically played counters. The two Young goals were essentially written from the same script, counters that exposed vulnerable seams in the Grizzlies’ pressure that yielded an initial shot followed up by a rebound goal.
In the 25th minute, Young absorbed the Payton pressure and advanced the ball down the flank as junior midfielder Eleanor Sherline hammered a ball that Lynn deflected. Howaniec put away the second shot for the invaluable first tally.
“We know what is at stake when we go through our conference games,” Howaniec said. “We have some fast players, and we were able to play some through-balls that we were able to run onto. I was just fortunate to be able to capitalize on the chance that was there with the rebound.
“Getting that first goal helped us realize how now that we have the lead, we have to keep it and we could not relax.”
Conversely, the goal was fairly deflating experience for the Grizzlies who dominated the game only to suffer a breakdown.
“Every time we play Whitney Young it’s going to be an intense game,” Escobar said. “It’s also a physical game. That’s what we bring to the table, and so do they. I thought we did a good job of matching their intensity. Unfortunately we didn’t score on our chances, and they did on theirs.”
Payton is gaining confidence with each game -- that’s evident from the fluid and precise ways they got into the teeth of the Young defense. Owens was a revelation. She controlled much of the middle, showing excellent touch and vision in playing balls to the wings.
“Our style is to play forward and run onto it,” she said. “I’m playing center midfielder, and I definitely feel like I’m more of a playmaker now. We lost all of our seniors last year, and we have a lot of sophomores. We are very young, but we are very excited as we get older and more experienced to see what is going to happen.”
In the 50th minute, Payton generated tremendous opportunities. Owens served some beautiful corner kicks. Senior midfielder Fiona O’Brien appeared to produce the equalizer with a tough ball in traffic. The official ruled the ball touched but did not cross the line. A Young defender cleared out the ball.
“We were trying to let the game come to us, and Payton did everything to take it,” Mandakas said. “We made the saves that we had to make. We kept the ball in front of us, and we did not allow any through-balls that put the keeper in a dangerous situation. We have to do a better job in the middle. We can’t force our back to play defense for 75 minutes like that.”
Lynn, the savvy and experienced four-year starter, made four saves for the Grizzlies. She made a great diving stop off a rocket shot by Young standout sophomore Mia Lisanti in the 63rd minute that allowed Payton to hover dangerously close.
Young put the game away in the 74th minute. Howaniec was again at the center of the play, taking a ball down the left flank and drilling a shot from about 19 yards that required a strong Lynn deflection. Lisanti was perfectly placed for the rebound.
“They were good coming out of the back on the transition when we were high pressing,” Escobar said. “We got caught on that second goal, and that’s how they scored.”
Payton never gave up hope and fought into the very end. In the 80th minute, Owens had a free kick just outside the box after an illegal Young touch. Her shot deflected off the wall.
“As our coach told us, we have nothing to be ashamed of,” Owens said. “We played hard and fought. We just have to do a better job of finishing and capitalizing on our chances.”
Starting lineups
Payton
GK: Hannah Lynn
D: Brigitte Joyce
D: Mimi Hamada
D: Maddie Clerkin
MF: Nancy Krug
MF: Fiona O’Brien
MF: Emilia Wilke
MF: Hayley Owens
MF: Olivia Moore
F: Lindsey Holzman
F: Sophie Salem
Young
GK: Gaby Lukanus
D: Kyra Sobel
D: Meaghan Jungels
D: Lauren Ehlers
D: Addie Schlensker
MF: Keila Vega
MF: Mia Lisanti
MF: Jessica O’Donnell
F: Sophie Putrim
F: Sara Woods
F: Sarah Heise
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Audrey Howaniec, Young, jr., midfielder
Scoring summary
First half
Young—Audrey Howaniec (Eleanor Sherline), 25th minute
Second half
Young—Mia Lisanti (Howaniec), 74th minute