Oak Park and River Forest,
Plainfield North meet in PepsiCo opener
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Plainfield North has a different look and feel to its program this year. Call it the presence of an absence. The Tigers have showcased some elite and high-level talent the last few years with Callie O'Donnell and the electrifying Handwork sisters, Ashley and Heather.
How do the Tigers adapt without a superstar?
"We're still trying to figure that out," said coach Jane Crowe.
Plainfield North shows signs of remaining an elite team, evidenced by its unbeaten mark (4-0-2) in the early season.
Crowe is looking for a breakthrough effort, and she thinks the elevated stage of the PepsiCo Showdown may provide it. The Tigers are the No. 3 seed and help kick off the 2015 iteration of the tournament by playing Oak Park and River Forest Saturday morning at 8:30 at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.
Plainfield North has posted three shutouts so far this season.
"Our defense is the best it's ever been, the best since the school has been open (2005)," Crowe said.
Three-year starter and team captain Brooke Polonus is the anchor of the squad. Emily DeVaux, at 5-foot-10, is long and disruptive. Karsyn Stirrett and freshman Abby Gustafson ("She doesn't play like one," Crowe said) fill out the formidable quartet.
The offense remains a work in progress.
"We're very good in the back; we're very good with our center midfielders, but we've been lacking that finisher, the goal scorer," Crowe said.
The Handwork sisters each scored more than 35 goals the last two years.
"We've been keeping possession and putting pressure on the other team, what we are missing is getting that last foot on the ball," Crowe said.
One significant factor in the slow offensive push was the absence of forward Erin Chynoweth in the team's first four games. The four-year varsity player is now fully recovered from a bout of mononucleosis.
With the Handwork sisters, Plainfield North reached the championship game of the tournament two years ago.
"We obviously have goals to get to that final game," Crowe said. "We really want to use every game of the tournament to get better. We're looking to find players who can step up, and we think Erin can be that player."
Oak Park and River Forest (1-3-2) is also undergoing its own transition. After experiencing significant graduation losses, coach Ignacio Ponce has 15 underclassmen and seven seniors. He returns only four starters, and in the early going things have been tough for the Huskies, who have faced some elite competition.
Oak Park and River Forest features some rapidly improving players and the Huskies have demonstrated clear improvement of late, including a win against Chicago Public League power Young. They also played conference rival Lyons, the No. 2 seed at PepsiCo, tight in a 1-0 loss Tuesday in West Suburban Silver play.
Forward Anna Eddelbuettel and midfielders Patricia Heneghan and Grace Huettel are the offensive leaders for the Huskies. Forward Julia Weiss is another top threat.
The Plainfield North coach knows Oak Park and River Forest's 2015 resume.
"They've lost to some good teams, and they seem to be pretty inexperienced," Crowe said. "But they also have some good players, and they're going to probably get better with each game."
Plainfield North meet in PepsiCo opener
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Plainfield North has a different look and feel to its program this year. Call it the presence of an absence. The Tigers have showcased some elite and high-level talent the last few years with Callie O'Donnell and the electrifying Handwork sisters, Ashley and Heather.
How do the Tigers adapt without a superstar?
"We're still trying to figure that out," said coach Jane Crowe.
Plainfield North shows signs of remaining an elite team, evidenced by its unbeaten mark (4-0-2) in the early season.
Crowe is looking for a breakthrough effort, and she thinks the elevated stage of the PepsiCo Showdown may provide it. The Tigers are the No. 3 seed and help kick off the 2015 iteration of the tournament by playing Oak Park and River Forest Saturday morning at 8:30 at Olympic Park in Schaumburg.
Plainfield North has posted three shutouts so far this season.
"Our defense is the best it's ever been, the best since the school has been open (2005)," Crowe said.
Three-year starter and team captain Brooke Polonus is the anchor of the squad. Emily DeVaux, at 5-foot-10, is long and disruptive. Karsyn Stirrett and freshman Abby Gustafson ("She doesn't play like one," Crowe said) fill out the formidable quartet.
The offense remains a work in progress.
"We're very good in the back; we're very good with our center midfielders, but we've been lacking that finisher, the goal scorer," Crowe said.
The Handwork sisters each scored more than 35 goals the last two years.
"We've been keeping possession and putting pressure on the other team, what we are missing is getting that last foot on the ball," Crowe said.
One significant factor in the slow offensive push was the absence of forward Erin Chynoweth in the team's first four games. The four-year varsity player is now fully recovered from a bout of mononucleosis.
With the Handwork sisters, Plainfield North reached the championship game of the tournament two years ago.
"We obviously have goals to get to that final game," Crowe said. "We really want to use every game of the tournament to get better. We're looking to find players who can step up, and we think Erin can be that player."
Oak Park and River Forest (1-3-2) is also undergoing its own transition. After experiencing significant graduation losses, coach Ignacio Ponce has 15 underclassmen and seven seniors. He returns only four starters, and in the early going things have been tough for the Huskies, who have faced some elite competition.
Oak Park and River Forest features some rapidly improving players and the Huskies have demonstrated clear improvement of late, including a win against Chicago Public League power Young. They also played conference rival Lyons, the No. 2 seed at PepsiCo, tight in a 1-0 loss Tuesday in West Suburban Silver play.
Forward Anna Eddelbuettel and midfielders Patricia Heneghan and Grace Huettel are the offensive leaders for the Huskies. Forward Julia Weiss is another top threat.
The Plainfield North coach knows Oak Park and River Forest's 2015 resume.
"They've lost to some good teams, and they seem to be pretty inexperienced," Crowe said. "But they also have some good players, and they're going to probably get better with each game."