Notebook: Carmel notebook
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Peyton Carney had enough of the moral victories.
She wanted something more tangible and affirming.
“I hate losing,” the Carmel defender/midfielder said.
“Even if it’s against good teams, I still don’t like the feeling. Winning makes you happy, and we get to go home and prepare for the next game.”
Carney was one of the unsung heroes of the Corsairs’ 3-1 victory at Joliet Catholic on Monday afternoon.
Carmel (5-4-1, 1-1-0) snapped a 15-day winless streak that included some very tough losses against four-ranked teams and a 1-1 tie with city power Lane.
Carney has the classic mix-it up style, throwing her body into the mass of bodies, winning 50/50 balls and doing whatever was necessary to help Carmel maintain possession and finish off the Angels.
“I would say we definitely needed a win today, and we wanted to do everything possible to prevent the other team from scoring and being the best we could on defense,” she said.
Carmel shut out Joliet Catholic for nearly 70 minutes of game time.
Carmel was the second smallest school in the 12-team field of the 4th Annual Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic.
They stood up and held their own against Lane, New Trier, Stevenson and Evanston.
“The toughest games we played all year were in the Deep Dish Classic,” Carmel coach Stephanie Kile said.
“Four games in one week, and we got banged up quite a bit. We suffered some injuries. The girls persevered.”
Against Joliet Catholic, Lauren Jenkins and Anna Hartman each had a goal and assist.
Forward Emily Fix scored the game-winner in the 50th minute off a terrific sequence by Jenkins, a strip of the ball at midfield and subsequent assist.
“It’s definitely fun to play some good teams, but it’s definitely frustrating,” Hartman said.
“The teams that we played, they’re not going to be like the teams we see in our AA state run. This is the most important part of the season, getting that experience to help us prepare for later on.”
Hartman knows all about the value of seasoning and toughness, and dealing with disappointment and regret.
During the basketball season, she was starting point guard on a team that lost twice in the regular season to conference rival Nazareth.
When the game truly mattered, the Class 3A state title game, Carmel took out the Roadrunners to capture the ultimate prize.
Lessons learned. Disappointment often leads to hunger and a profound desire to improve and get better.
“The whole basketball team, we all act the same,” Hartmann said. “We prepare before each game.
“It’s also not just serious. You have to have some fun as well. It helps with our connection.”
As the Corsairs move into the heart of their conference slate, the players are finding each other and working through the difficult moments.
Each game offers another chance for the altered attack and the new 4-3-3 formation to be honed.
“Offensively we are trying to figure out how to play together,” Fix said. “We don’t have our normal width, so we are trying to figure out staying balanced and going to the goal.”
Carmel scored just one goal during its 0-4-1 stretch.
“It’s not like the other teams were scoring a lot either,” Hartman said.
Players had to dance around, and move into different, temporary positions. The players adapted brilliantly on the move and never looked back.
The teamwork and friendships also helped cope with the hard times and difficult moments.
Hartman and Carney are club teammates. Fix and Jenkins are inseparable friends and teammates who also play doubles together on the tennis team.
Carney’s stepping up was huge, especially helping fill the void of standout center back Zyklah Barnes having to miss much of the second half with an injury.
That is the story, and the reason for optimism, going forward.
Carmel dealt with injuries and bad luck, and a ferocious schedule.
The team learned to fight for another day.
A Chicagoland Soccer Watch List player as a freshman, Hartman is a signature athlete -- wired, athletic, tough and deeply competitive.
She is also not afraid to let everything hang out. It’s competitive, intense and fun soccer.
Hartman knows greater issues abound. The winning result against Joliet Catholic was a reminder of better days, in the past, present and future.
“I always like to have fun off the field,” Hartman said.
“Once it’s time to focus, I am ready.”
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Peyton Carney had enough of the moral victories.
She wanted something more tangible and affirming.
“I hate losing,” the Carmel defender/midfielder said.
“Even if it’s against good teams, I still don’t like the feeling. Winning makes you happy, and we get to go home and prepare for the next game.”
Carney was one of the unsung heroes of the Corsairs’ 3-1 victory at Joliet Catholic on Monday afternoon.
Carmel (5-4-1, 1-1-0) snapped a 15-day winless streak that included some very tough losses against four-ranked teams and a 1-1 tie with city power Lane.
Carney has the classic mix-it up style, throwing her body into the mass of bodies, winning 50/50 balls and doing whatever was necessary to help Carmel maintain possession and finish off the Angels.
“I would say we definitely needed a win today, and we wanted to do everything possible to prevent the other team from scoring and being the best we could on defense,” she said.
Carmel shut out Joliet Catholic for nearly 70 minutes of game time.
Carmel was the second smallest school in the 12-team field of the 4th Annual Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic.
They stood up and held their own against Lane, New Trier, Stevenson and Evanston.
“The toughest games we played all year were in the Deep Dish Classic,” Carmel coach Stephanie Kile said.
“Four games in one week, and we got banged up quite a bit. We suffered some injuries. The girls persevered.”
Against Joliet Catholic, Lauren Jenkins and Anna Hartman each had a goal and assist.
Forward Emily Fix scored the game-winner in the 50th minute off a terrific sequence by Jenkins, a strip of the ball at midfield and subsequent assist.
“It’s definitely fun to play some good teams, but it’s definitely frustrating,” Hartman said.
“The teams that we played, they’re not going to be like the teams we see in our AA state run. This is the most important part of the season, getting that experience to help us prepare for later on.”
Hartman knows all about the value of seasoning and toughness, and dealing with disappointment and regret.
During the basketball season, she was starting point guard on a team that lost twice in the regular season to conference rival Nazareth.
When the game truly mattered, the Class 3A state title game, Carmel took out the Roadrunners to capture the ultimate prize.
Lessons learned. Disappointment often leads to hunger and a profound desire to improve and get better.
“The whole basketball team, we all act the same,” Hartmann said. “We prepare before each game.
“It’s also not just serious. You have to have some fun as well. It helps with our connection.”
As the Corsairs move into the heart of their conference slate, the players are finding each other and working through the difficult moments.
Each game offers another chance for the altered attack and the new 4-3-3 formation to be honed.
“Offensively we are trying to figure out how to play together,” Fix said. “We don’t have our normal width, so we are trying to figure out staying balanced and going to the goal.”
Carmel scored just one goal during its 0-4-1 stretch.
“It’s not like the other teams were scoring a lot either,” Hartman said.
Players had to dance around, and move into different, temporary positions. The players adapted brilliantly on the move and never looked back.
The teamwork and friendships also helped cope with the hard times and difficult moments.
Hartman and Carney are club teammates. Fix and Jenkins are inseparable friends and teammates who also play doubles together on the tennis team.
Carney’s stepping up was huge, especially helping fill the void of standout center back Zyklah Barnes having to miss much of the second half with an injury.
That is the story, and the reason for optimism, going forward.
Carmel dealt with injuries and bad luck, and a ferocious schedule.
The team learned to fight for another day.
A Chicagoland Soccer Watch List player as a freshman, Hartman is a signature athlete -- wired, athletic, tough and deeply competitive.
She is also not afraid to let everything hang out. It’s competitive, intense and fun soccer.
Hartman knows greater issues abound. The winning result against Joliet Catholic was a reminder of better days, in the past, present and future.
“I always like to have fun off the field,” Hartman said.
“Once it’s time to focus, I am ready.”