Notebook: North Shore Country Day
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Peyton Hudson moved into the classic keeper crouch. She was ready.
Woodlands star Maddie Montez wove through the middle and took aim. Her left-footed laser took an eerie flight.
A goal for Woodlands seemed inevitable.
Hudson had other ideas, using her body as a shield. She sacrificed the temporary discomfort of the ball smacking into her abdomen for the good of the team.
On Senior Day, Hudson was going to go out in grand style.
Hudson’s special work inside the box and goals by junior Suraiyya Omar and senior Lila Golson gave North Shore Country Day the 2-1 victory in Independent School League action Monday at Skokie Playfields.
It was a day of memories, emotions and a few tears.
“This is their day,” Omar said. “The seniors are so supportive, and I’m glad to be part of this team.
“I have seen them for three years.”
With senior midfielder Ellie Stevenson, Hudson is the last link of the Raiders’ back-to-back Class A state finals teams.
The Raiders went a combined 32-9-0 during those magical two years.
Hudson has touched all sides.
As the backup to starter Abby Renaud, Hudson saw action in four games that year. She posted four saves, and was part of two shared shutouts.
Stevenson also scored a goal and assist for the team.
“As someone who was on that team, it’s the same environment year to year,” she said.
“The culture that North Shore has no matter what girls are on the team, it’s the same every year. We try to teach the younger girls who come to be a part of that.”
As a private school with less than 200 students, North Shore Country Day works assiduously to develop an identity and frame of purpose.
Hudson said sports at the school create a sense of inclusion and togetherness.
“I’d say that sports are really significant at our school,” Hudson said. “There are no cuts, and everybody gets to play.”
Angular and lanky, Hudson has the perfect frame to play keeper. She also personifies something else about North Shore Country Day -- the necessary prevalence of multiple sport athletes.
She also plays basketball and field hockey. Many of the star players on the state finals teams—like Edith Edwards-Mizel—were three-sport athletes.
“Sport to sport, it’s a lot of the same girls, and you’re playing every season with a lot of the same people,” Hudson said.
“It’s a way better environment than you get at most schools. It’s a very strong bond.”
Senior midfielder Taylor Vallas created the assist on Omar’s goal.
She and her identical twin Kendall took part in the special festivities before the game and started next to
each other.
“I think it’s a ton of fun,” Taylor Vallas said. “Whether we are being called the right, the wrong name, it’s still fun to have her on the field with me and on the same side.
“After everything we have gone through, a year of COVID, masks on, masks off, it’s been pretty crazy. It was wonderful to have a great Senior Day.”
The story of the senior class is one of heartbreak and resilience that includes a lost sophomore year to the pandemic that denied another state run.
The resumption of play last spring was also short-circuited by health and safety protocols, which led to a truncated schedule.
However, their accomplishments were not performed in a vacuum.
“This senior group is awesome,” North Shore Country Day coach Lizzy Giffen said.
“There are 14 seniors playing, which is the biggest class I’ve ever had. Any of them could have started at any given time this season.”
Class of 2022 stalwarts Bella Flemma, Charlotte Bartell, Antonia Lopes, Lindsey Glew, Charlize Guillen, Hannah Gallin, Anna Ristic, Lexi Jackson and Alma Fitzgerald put their stamp on the team.
Despite the disruptions and the profound anxiousness of the last three years, Giffen sees a group of avid, tough and bright young women looking to make their mark.
“They are intelligent, kind, fun girls to be around,” Giffen said. “With the pandemic, I think they have learned resilience and perspective.
“They want to compete, and they want to play every day. They will tough it out through whatever Chicago conditions we face.”
Perspective colors every trait, according to Golson. The current iteration of the team is heir to the best in school history.
That makes them proud and reflective.
“Coming off back-to-back state teams, it’s nice we are all friends and play together,” Golson said.
“Even though we might not be statistically the best team, we have a lot of fun together.”
Omar leads the team’s underclassmen. Two juniors, two freshmen and an eighth-grader filled out the team roster on Monday.
The day was meant to honor and privilege the seniors.
In turn, the seniors saw the day as a moment to reflect on their achievements, shared history and how they passed on the legacy of their close-knit team and school community.
“As freshmen, we learned it from the seniors and we got to see it, and now we are trying to do the same thing for the younger players,” Hudson said.
Click here to see the North Shore Country Day team page
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Peyton Hudson moved into the classic keeper crouch. She was ready.
Woodlands star Maddie Montez wove through the middle and took aim. Her left-footed laser took an eerie flight.
A goal for Woodlands seemed inevitable.
Hudson had other ideas, using her body as a shield. She sacrificed the temporary discomfort of the ball smacking into her abdomen for the good of the team.
On Senior Day, Hudson was going to go out in grand style.
Hudson’s special work inside the box and goals by junior Suraiyya Omar and senior Lila Golson gave North Shore Country Day the 2-1 victory in Independent School League action Monday at Skokie Playfields.
It was a day of memories, emotions and a few tears.
“This is their day,” Omar said. “The seniors are so supportive, and I’m glad to be part of this team.
“I have seen them for three years.”
With senior midfielder Ellie Stevenson, Hudson is the last link of the Raiders’ back-to-back Class A state finals teams.
The Raiders went a combined 32-9-0 during those magical two years.
Hudson has touched all sides.
As the backup to starter Abby Renaud, Hudson saw action in four games that year. She posted four saves, and was part of two shared shutouts.
Stevenson also scored a goal and assist for the team.
“As someone who was on that team, it’s the same environment year to year,” she said.
“The culture that North Shore has no matter what girls are on the team, it’s the same every year. We try to teach the younger girls who come to be a part of that.”
As a private school with less than 200 students, North Shore Country Day works assiduously to develop an identity and frame of purpose.
Hudson said sports at the school create a sense of inclusion and togetherness.
“I’d say that sports are really significant at our school,” Hudson said. “There are no cuts, and everybody gets to play.”
Angular and lanky, Hudson has the perfect frame to play keeper. She also personifies something else about North Shore Country Day -- the necessary prevalence of multiple sport athletes.
She also plays basketball and field hockey. Many of the star players on the state finals teams—like Edith Edwards-Mizel—were three-sport athletes.
“Sport to sport, it’s a lot of the same girls, and you’re playing every season with a lot of the same people,” Hudson said.
“It’s a way better environment than you get at most schools. It’s a very strong bond.”
Senior midfielder Taylor Vallas created the assist on Omar’s goal.
She and her identical twin Kendall took part in the special festivities before the game and started next to
each other.
“I think it’s a ton of fun,” Taylor Vallas said. “Whether we are being called the right, the wrong name, it’s still fun to have her on the field with me and on the same side.
“After everything we have gone through, a year of COVID, masks on, masks off, it’s been pretty crazy. It was wonderful to have a great Senior Day.”
The story of the senior class is one of heartbreak and resilience that includes a lost sophomore year to the pandemic that denied another state run.
The resumption of play last spring was also short-circuited by health and safety protocols, which led to a truncated schedule.
However, their accomplishments were not performed in a vacuum.
“This senior group is awesome,” North Shore Country Day coach Lizzy Giffen said.
“There are 14 seniors playing, which is the biggest class I’ve ever had. Any of them could have started at any given time this season.”
Class of 2022 stalwarts Bella Flemma, Charlotte Bartell, Antonia Lopes, Lindsey Glew, Charlize Guillen, Hannah Gallin, Anna Ristic, Lexi Jackson and Alma Fitzgerald put their stamp on the team.
Despite the disruptions and the profound anxiousness of the last three years, Giffen sees a group of avid, tough and bright young women looking to make their mark.
“They are intelligent, kind, fun girls to be around,” Giffen said. “With the pandemic, I think they have learned resilience and perspective.
“They want to compete, and they want to play every day. They will tough it out through whatever Chicago conditions we face.”
Perspective colors every trait, according to Golson. The current iteration of the team is heir to the best in school history.
That makes them proud and reflective.
“Coming off back-to-back state teams, it’s nice we are all friends and play together,” Golson said.
“Even though we might not be statistically the best team, we have a lot of fun together.”
Omar leads the team’s underclassmen. Two juniors, two freshmen and an eighth-grader filled out the team roster on Monday.
The day was meant to honor and privilege the seniors.
In turn, the seniors saw the day as a moment to reflect on their achievements, shared history and how they passed on the legacy of their close-knit team and school community.
“As freshmen, we learned it from the seniors and we got to see it, and now we are trying to do the same thing for the younger players,” Hudson said.
Click here to see the North Shore Country Day team page