Fremd faces powerhouse in opener
St. Charles East gives Vikings an instant field check
By Ken Keenan
PALATINE -- Fremd will face a stern test in the 2015 season opener at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Vikings host a St. Charles East squad that enters the new campaign on the heels of a runner-up finish in last year's IHSA Class 3A state tournament.
The Fighting Saints advanced to the state final with a 3-1 semifinal victory over Lincoln-Way North before being nipped 1-0 by New Trier in the championship match. Meanwhile, Fremd finished 7-12-1 overall -- including a 5-6-0 mark in Mid-Suburban League play -- after dropping a 1-0 decision to Batavia in a regional semifinal.
"We're excited to find out what we have against a top-level opponent," said Vikings coach Steve Keller, who led the Fremd boys team to a third-place finish in the Class 3A state tourney last fall. "It will certainly be a benchmark for us to assess where we need to go from now forward."
Keller's crew returns to the pitch with a stable of seven experienced veterans, led by sophomore goalkeeper Kelsie Stone, who posted a 1.49 goals-against average in 2014. Stone counted 57 saves and notched 3.5 shutouts.
"I consider Kelsie to be one of the top upcoming goalies in the area," Keller said.
Senior midfielder Jessica Kopec returns for her third varsity go-round after tallying four goals and two assists in 2014, and is joined in the midfield by junior Kellie Halloran, who scored one goal as a varsity rookie last year.
"Jessica has excellent technical ability with the ball, and Kellie brings a superior work rate to the midfield," Keller said.
Senior Katie Zara, a midfielder/forward, scored four goals in her third varsity season a year ago.
"Katie is a great box-to-box player," Keller said.
In the back end, Fremd returns three seniors -- defender Caroline Freeman, and defender/midfielders Liz Flavin and Annika Morin -- each with two years of varsity experience under their belts. Freeman counted an assist in 2014, and Morin dented the net once.
"Caroline is an all-around player with an end-to-end impact on games," Keller said. "Liz is tough and tactically smart, while Annika is an excellent one-on-one defender."
Keller expects four sophomore newcomers to be key contributors this season: forwards Missy Adrian and Tara Bergles, midfielder/defender Julia Szykle and midfielder/forward Emilijia Peleckas.
"Missy has great speed in order to get behind the (opponent's) defense, and Tara also has excellent speed and the ability to get behind the defense," Keller said. "Julia is good in the air with ball-winning abilities, and is technically smart. Emilijia has good technical skills, with the ability to find teammates with the open pass and can finish one-on-one too."
All in all, Keller believes the Vikings have a chance to make some noise this year.
"We have good experience coming back from last year, and we should be solid overall," Keller said. "We need to find out what works for us and then do those things well. Our goals are to compete for a conference championship and make a good run in the state tournament. To do that, we will need to stay healthy -- and play to our strengths and potential."
Coached by Paul Jennison, the Fighting Saints' second-place finish last season marked the fifth in school history. St. Charles East also boasts eight state championships, including five straight from 1996 through 2000. The team's ledger features 19 regional titles, 13 sectional titles, six supersectional crowns and four third-place finishes at State, most recently in 1995.
St. Charles East gives Vikings an instant field check
By Ken Keenan
PALATINE -- Fremd will face a stern test in the 2015 season opener at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The Vikings host a St. Charles East squad that enters the new campaign on the heels of a runner-up finish in last year's IHSA Class 3A state tournament.
The Fighting Saints advanced to the state final with a 3-1 semifinal victory over Lincoln-Way North before being nipped 1-0 by New Trier in the championship match. Meanwhile, Fremd finished 7-12-1 overall -- including a 5-6-0 mark in Mid-Suburban League play -- after dropping a 1-0 decision to Batavia in a regional semifinal.
"We're excited to find out what we have against a top-level opponent," said Vikings coach Steve Keller, who led the Fremd boys team to a third-place finish in the Class 3A state tourney last fall. "It will certainly be a benchmark for us to assess where we need to go from now forward."
Keller's crew returns to the pitch with a stable of seven experienced veterans, led by sophomore goalkeeper Kelsie Stone, who posted a 1.49 goals-against average in 2014. Stone counted 57 saves and notched 3.5 shutouts.
"I consider Kelsie to be one of the top upcoming goalies in the area," Keller said.
Senior midfielder Jessica Kopec returns for her third varsity go-round after tallying four goals and two assists in 2014, and is joined in the midfield by junior Kellie Halloran, who scored one goal as a varsity rookie last year.
"Jessica has excellent technical ability with the ball, and Kellie brings a superior work rate to the midfield," Keller said.
Senior Katie Zara, a midfielder/forward, scored four goals in her third varsity season a year ago.
"Katie is a great box-to-box player," Keller said.
In the back end, Fremd returns three seniors -- defender Caroline Freeman, and defender/midfielders Liz Flavin and Annika Morin -- each with two years of varsity experience under their belts. Freeman counted an assist in 2014, and Morin dented the net once.
"Caroline is an all-around player with an end-to-end impact on games," Keller said. "Liz is tough and tactically smart, while Annika is an excellent one-on-one defender."
Keller expects four sophomore newcomers to be key contributors this season: forwards Missy Adrian and Tara Bergles, midfielder/defender Julia Szykle and midfielder/forward Emilijia Peleckas.
"Missy has great speed in order to get behind the (opponent's) defense, and Tara also has excellent speed and the ability to get behind the defense," Keller said. "Julia is good in the air with ball-winning abilities, and is technically smart. Emilijia has good technical skills, with the ability to find teammates with the open pass and can finish one-on-one too."
All in all, Keller believes the Vikings have a chance to make some noise this year.
"We have good experience coming back from last year, and we should be solid overall," Keller said. "We need to find out what works for us and then do those things well. Our goals are to compete for a conference championship and make a good run in the state tournament. To do that, we will need to stay healthy -- and play to our strengths and potential."
Coached by Paul Jennison, the Fighting Saints' second-place finish last season marked the fifth in school history. St. Charles East also boasts eight state championships, including five straight from 1996 through 2000. The team's ledger features 19 regional titles, 13 sectional titles, six supersectional crowns and four third-place finishes at State, most recently in 1995.