Notebook: Reavis
By Steve Millar
Reavis coach Phil Basile admits he and his team were caught off guard by just how dangerous Eisenhower is offensively when the teams met May 1 in Blue Island.
Cardinals’ forwards Anese English and Nyah Bejarano combined for all eight goals as Eisenhower rolled to the 8-3 win on their way to sealing the South Suburban Conference Red Division title. Reavis finished second.
“We didn’t adjust well to their key players,” Basile said. “I think we underestimated their skill up-top.”
Basile believes the Rams (12-9-1) will be ready this time around. Reavis, seeded ninth in its own Class 3A sectional, gets its a rematch with seventh-seeded Eisenhower (17-4) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in a Stagg Regional semifinal.
“Even though it ended up being a lopsided final score, we did some good things in that first game,” Basile said. “We possessed well. We had some good chances to take the lead when it was 2-2. We hit a crossbar, and then they got a couple quick ones on us, and it kind of got away from us from there.
“We felt like we matched up well in a lot of ways, though.”
If the Rams can keep Eisenhower’s speedy forwards from getting behind their defense too many times, they’ll have a shot to spring the upset, Basile believes.
“Offensively, Eisenhower is one of the best teams we’ve played all year,” he said. “They’re really explosive. There are other aspects of the game, though, where we feel like we have the advantage. It’s just a matter of limiting our mistakes and finishing on our chances.”
Bouncing back
The defeat against Eisenhower capped a three-game losing streak for Reavis, but the Rams rebounded to finish the regular season with a pair of wins.
A 5-2 win over a solid Oak Forest team with a 13-6-1 record was especially key. A 5-0 victory over Bremen followed.
“The Oak Forest win was huge,” Basile said. “We got down 2-0, but the girls didn’t get timid. They fought right back.
“Our girls are playing with confidence. They’re not coming into practice like they’re expecting the season to end Wednesday. They’re energetic and ready to go.”
Young gun
Freshman forward Isabel Guzman scored two of the Rams' three goals against Eisenhower.
She also found the net in the Oak Forest game.
“Most of our scoring has come from our midfielders, and we’ve needed to get something from our forwards,” Basile said. “It was great to see Isabel come through. Hopefully those goals against Eisenhower will give her confidence going into this next game against them.”
Cougars pride
Seniors Kim Marquez and Arlette Hernandez both signed to play soccer at St. Xavier, Basile’s alma mater.
“It’s exciting to see some of our girls heading there,” Basile said. “It’ll be fun going over there to watch them. I think Kim and Arlette will both be huge assets to the program there.
“They’re phenomenal leaders, some of the best I’ve ever had.”
By Steve Millar
Reavis coach Phil Basile admits he and his team were caught off guard by just how dangerous Eisenhower is offensively when the teams met May 1 in Blue Island.
Cardinals’ forwards Anese English and Nyah Bejarano combined for all eight goals as Eisenhower rolled to the 8-3 win on their way to sealing the South Suburban Conference Red Division title. Reavis finished second.
“We didn’t adjust well to their key players,” Basile said. “I think we underestimated their skill up-top.”
Basile believes the Rams (12-9-1) will be ready this time around. Reavis, seeded ninth in its own Class 3A sectional, gets its a rematch with seventh-seeded Eisenhower (17-4) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in a Stagg Regional semifinal.
“Even though it ended up being a lopsided final score, we did some good things in that first game,” Basile said. “We possessed well. We had some good chances to take the lead when it was 2-2. We hit a crossbar, and then they got a couple quick ones on us, and it kind of got away from us from there.
“We felt like we matched up well in a lot of ways, though.”
If the Rams can keep Eisenhower’s speedy forwards from getting behind their defense too many times, they’ll have a shot to spring the upset, Basile believes.
“Offensively, Eisenhower is one of the best teams we’ve played all year,” he said. “They’re really explosive. There are other aspects of the game, though, where we feel like we have the advantage. It’s just a matter of limiting our mistakes and finishing on our chances.”
Bouncing back
The defeat against Eisenhower capped a three-game losing streak for Reavis, but the Rams rebounded to finish the regular season with a pair of wins.
A 5-2 win over a solid Oak Forest team with a 13-6-1 record was especially key. A 5-0 victory over Bremen followed.
“The Oak Forest win was huge,” Basile said. “We got down 2-0, but the girls didn’t get timid. They fought right back.
“Our girls are playing with confidence. They’re not coming into practice like they’re expecting the season to end Wednesday. They’re energetic and ready to go.”
Young gun
Freshman forward Isabel Guzman scored two of the Rams' three goals against Eisenhower.
She also found the net in the Oak Forest game.
“Most of our scoring has come from our midfielders, and we’ve needed to get something from our forwards,” Basile said. “It was great to see Isabel come through. Hopefully those goals against Eisenhower will give her confidence going into this next game against them.”
Cougars pride
Seniors Kim Marquez and Arlette Hernandez both signed to play soccer at St. Xavier, Basile’s alma mater.
“It’s exciting to see some of our girls heading there,” Basile said. “It’ll be fun going over there to watch them. I think Kim and Arlette will both be huge assets to the program there.
“They’re phenomenal leaders, some of the best I’ve ever had.”