Bartlett finds stride, Downers South next hurdle
By Dave Owen
The month of April has been like a new season for Bartlett.
The Hawks responded to a 4-0 loss to West Chicago on March 25 with a record of 4-1-1 in their next six games.
The next test for Bartlett (5-3-1) comes at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Millennium Field in Streamwood against Downers Grove South (4-2-1), which is having on-field success despite unrivaled off-field adversity.
Mustangs senior defender Kailee Miller was killed in an auto accident two weeks ago, making results on the soccer field of far secondary importance.
“Kailee was one of our captains and truly inspired everyone around her to make themselves better,” Mustangs first-year coach Chris Hernandez said. “Her loss was felt throughout the community.
“The girls have turned to each other during this time and been there for each other at every opportunity. I could not be more proud of these girls for how they have not only supported each other, but for how they have inspired one another.”
Downers Grove South has persevered on the field. Its only losses of the year came over the weekend to two Iowa teams at the Quad Cities Invitational (by a 1-0 score, then the second on penalty kicks). Three of the Mustangs’ wins have been by shutouts.
Defender Sarah Foernssler leads the Downers South defense. Other standouts include Autumn Rasmussen and senior midfielders Ava Porlier and Miyax Leon.
Downers Grove South is just three years removed from a trip to the state semifinals, and remains a strong challenge on the pitch.
Bartlett reeled off three shutout wins in a row to rise north of the .500 mark. A 2-0 loss to Batavia on Saturday ended a five-game unbeaten streak, but was another solid defensive effort for a squad that has five shutouts overall this spring.
“In the last six matches we've improved defensively from our front line to our back line,” Bartlett coach Ben Beary said. “This starts with the poise of our back line with Shannon Brohan, Jamie Kenna, Miranda Hedeen, and Melissa Gal.
“That back line represents a lot of varsity experience that has helped us out of difficult situations and allowed us to build our attack through possession in the back.”
Bartlett’s offense has also continued to emerge.
“On the attacking side, we’ve relied on the midfield platoon of Mariela Alba, Jess Mirsky, Jenna Dombrowski, and Jenna Noesen to keep possession and dictate the flow of the game,” Beary said.
Bartlett defeated Downers South 3-2 last year, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes of the game.
“Looking at that result it’s important we recognize the danger that comes with not being focused,” Hernandez said. “We need to be mentally prepared for the entire match, but especially for the opening minutes.”
Duplicating fast starts like that have been one missing element this spring for Bartlett.
“Lately we’ve been playing better after halftime,” Beary said. “We need to settle into matches sooner and start our matches with a bit more energy and urgency.”
Downers South played well at the Quad Cities Tournament despite a 1-2 record.
“Iowa was a fantastic experience,” Hernandez said. “Between Ames, Dubuque-Hempstead and Bettendorf we competed against some of the best teams in Iowa. The girls felt very unlucky not to come away with three wins over the weekend, but our performances were of a very high quality.”
The Mustangs allowed just two shots in a 1-0 loss to Ames, then went through a nine-round penalty kick marathon in their narrow setback against Dubuque-Hempstead.
“These are certainly performances we will look to build upon going forward,” Hernandez said.
Bartlett hopes to resume its April uptrend.
“We need to continue to focus on improving what we do,” Beary said. “We need to move the ball more quickly in our transition attack. And most importantly, we need to finish our chances.
“Even in our losing efforts against quality opponents, we have shown consistent ability to create a handful of good scoring chances each match. We need to convert those chances. And once we start converting more regularly, that builds team confidence and that leads to even more chances.”
By Dave Owen
The month of April has been like a new season for Bartlett.
The Hawks responded to a 4-0 loss to West Chicago on March 25 with a record of 4-1-1 in their next six games.
The next test for Bartlett (5-3-1) comes at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Millennium Field in Streamwood against Downers Grove South (4-2-1), which is having on-field success despite unrivaled off-field adversity.
Mustangs senior defender Kailee Miller was killed in an auto accident two weeks ago, making results on the soccer field of far secondary importance.
“Kailee was one of our captains and truly inspired everyone around her to make themselves better,” Mustangs first-year coach Chris Hernandez said. “Her loss was felt throughout the community.
“The girls have turned to each other during this time and been there for each other at every opportunity. I could not be more proud of these girls for how they have not only supported each other, but for how they have inspired one another.”
Downers Grove South has persevered on the field. Its only losses of the year came over the weekend to two Iowa teams at the Quad Cities Invitational (by a 1-0 score, then the second on penalty kicks). Three of the Mustangs’ wins have been by shutouts.
Defender Sarah Foernssler leads the Downers South defense. Other standouts include Autumn Rasmussen and senior midfielders Ava Porlier and Miyax Leon.
Downers Grove South is just three years removed from a trip to the state semifinals, and remains a strong challenge on the pitch.
Bartlett reeled off three shutout wins in a row to rise north of the .500 mark. A 2-0 loss to Batavia on Saturday ended a five-game unbeaten streak, but was another solid defensive effort for a squad that has five shutouts overall this spring.
“In the last six matches we've improved defensively from our front line to our back line,” Bartlett coach Ben Beary said. “This starts with the poise of our back line with Shannon Brohan, Jamie Kenna, Miranda Hedeen, and Melissa Gal.
“That back line represents a lot of varsity experience that has helped us out of difficult situations and allowed us to build our attack through possession in the back.”
Bartlett’s offense has also continued to emerge.
“On the attacking side, we’ve relied on the midfield platoon of Mariela Alba, Jess Mirsky, Jenna Dombrowski, and Jenna Noesen to keep possession and dictate the flow of the game,” Beary said.
Bartlett defeated Downers South 3-2 last year, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes of the game.
“Looking at that result it’s important we recognize the danger that comes with not being focused,” Hernandez said. “We need to be mentally prepared for the entire match, but especially for the opening minutes.”
Duplicating fast starts like that have been one missing element this spring for Bartlett.
“Lately we’ve been playing better after halftime,” Beary said. “We need to settle into matches sooner and start our matches with a bit more energy and urgency.”
Downers South played well at the Quad Cities Tournament despite a 1-2 record.
“Iowa was a fantastic experience,” Hernandez said. “Between Ames, Dubuque-Hempstead and Bettendorf we competed against some of the best teams in Iowa. The girls felt very unlucky not to come away with three wins over the weekend, but our performances were of a very high quality.”
The Mustangs allowed just two shots in a 1-0 loss to Ames, then went through a nine-round penalty kick marathon in their narrow setback against Dubuque-Hempstead.
“These are certainly performances we will look to build upon going forward,” Hernandez said.
Bartlett hopes to resume its April uptrend.
“We need to continue to focus on improving what we do,” Beary said. “We need to move the ball more quickly in our transition attack. And most importantly, we need to finish our chances.
“Even in our losing efforts against quality opponents, we have shown consistent ability to create a handful of good scoring chances each match. We need to convert those chances. And once we start converting more regularly, that builds team confidence and that leads to even more chances.”