Ranked rivals St. Charles East,
St. Charles North set for showdown
Coaches downplay match for Upstate 8 River title
By Ken Keenan
Emotions are likely to be sky-high when Upstate Eight Conference River Division heavyweights St. Charles North and St. Charles East meet at noon on Saturday.
Aside from the fact that the natural rivals share a 6-0-0 league mark,
the Fighting Saints (18-1-0 overall) are ranked no. 4 in the
Chicagoland Soccer Top 20 poll, while the North Stars (14-2-1) stand
at no. 7. East was the IHSA Class 3A runner-up in 2014,
and North finished second in 2012.
But despite the significance of the match -- to be held at St. Charles
East -- the teams' respective coaches are downplaying the situation.
"I am expecting this to be an exciting game with good skill and talent
from both teams," said St. Charles North coach Ruth Vostal. "We
recognize that fans, newspapers and the community like to make a big
deal out of this game, but my girls recognize that it is one game
among many this season.
"So my team is focusing on what we need to do
to be successful, as we do for every game that we play."
Thursday night, the Stars warmed up for the match with a weather-shortened 5-0 win over
Streamwood, while the Saints eked out a 3-2 victory over Metea Valley.
"We want to play up to our ability (versus North) and keep fine-tuning
for the postseason," said St. Charles East coach Paul Jennison. "It's
a great opportunity for us to go out there and continue doing what
we've been doing.
"It's another game to go out there and play to win.
We don't want to make it anything other than what it is. You have to
go out there and take the emotion out of the team, and the game, to be
most efficient."
Vostal said she'll remind the North Stars to keep their feet active
when possessing the ball against the Fighting Saints.
"We'll look to move the ball, so we want our players who are off the
ball to make productive runs, and create opportunities on the
offensive side of the ball," she said. "We'll also look at having
solid team defense."
In the win over Metea Valley, East received goals from sophomore
forward Claire Rasmussen (assisted by soph midfielder Hannah Kolb),
junior defender Shannon Gatehouse (from senior mid Kelli Santo Pulo)
and senior middie Julia Herbrand (from junior defender Julia
Peterson).
"From a statistical point, certain girls are picked by various people
as superstars, but I feel very confident there are no girls looking
for singular praise," Jennison said. "It's all about St. Charles East
-- a team work ethic and a team mentality.
"These girls have a genuine belief, and trust, in each other. So we're not relying on any one
particular player to look to or build a game plan around. We have
players who can succeed all over the pitch."
Among St. Charles North's top players are senior midfielder Lizzie
Parrilli, junior mid Hailey Rydberg, freshman forward Gia Wahlberg,
and senior forward Hanna Durocher.
"Lizzie is a great playmaker. She can start and finish a play on the
offensive and defensive side of the field," Vostal said. "Hailey is a
highly skilled player who draws attention with her skilled touches and
ball movement. She creates many offensive chances for us. Hanna is a
heart-and-soul leader who can set other players up for success. And
our backline is solid -- working well as a unit."
Jennison said much the same regarding his team's play in its own end.
"We've scored a lot of goals, but it's due in large part to how we
have defended," he said. "Our front players feel they're under less
pressure. It gives us a lot of confidence knowing the players in the
back are playing as solidly as they have been."
In keeping with the desire not to over-hype Saturday's big match,
Vostal and Jennison each view the upcoming postseason in a similar
light.
"We hope to extend our season as long as we can," Vostal said. "We
love playing as a team, and we want to continue to have practices
together. The joy of winning is a celebration of our success, but the
focus is on improving each game, coming together as a family, and
living in the moment."
Jennison said, "The main mindset is having a practice today, take care
of what's right in front of us, and try to keep picking up wins as we
go along. We work hard to improve as a group, and when you have
players who are hard-working as this group, any success will be a
bonus at the end of the day."
St. Charles North set for showdown
Coaches downplay match for Upstate 8 River title
By Ken Keenan
Emotions are likely to be sky-high when Upstate Eight Conference River Division heavyweights St. Charles North and St. Charles East meet at noon on Saturday.
Aside from the fact that the natural rivals share a 6-0-0 league mark,
the Fighting Saints (18-1-0 overall) are ranked no. 4 in the
Chicagoland Soccer Top 20 poll, while the North Stars (14-2-1) stand
at no. 7. East was the IHSA Class 3A runner-up in 2014,
and North finished second in 2012.
But despite the significance of the match -- to be held at St. Charles
East -- the teams' respective coaches are downplaying the situation.
"I am expecting this to be an exciting game with good skill and talent
from both teams," said St. Charles North coach Ruth Vostal. "We
recognize that fans, newspapers and the community like to make a big
deal out of this game, but my girls recognize that it is one game
among many this season.
"So my team is focusing on what we need to do
to be successful, as we do for every game that we play."
Thursday night, the Stars warmed up for the match with a weather-shortened 5-0 win over
Streamwood, while the Saints eked out a 3-2 victory over Metea Valley.
"We want to play up to our ability (versus North) and keep fine-tuning
for the postseason," said St. Charles East coach Paul Jennison. "It's
a great opportunity for us to go out there and continue doing what
we've been doing.
"It's another game to go out there and play to win.
We don't want to make it anything other than what it is. You have to
go out there and take the emotion out of the team, and the game, to be
most efficient."
Vostal said she'll remind the North Stars to keep their feet active
when possessing the ball against the Fighting Saints.
"We'll look to move the ball, so we want our players who are off the
ball to make productive runs, and create opportunities on the
offensive side of the ball," she said. "We'll also look at having
solid team defense."
In the win over Metea Valley, East received goals from sophomore
forward Claire Rasmussen (assisted by soph midfielder Hannah Kolb),
junior defender Shannon Gatehouse (from senior mid Kelli Santo Pulo)
and senior middie Julia Herbrand (from junior defender Julia
Peterson).
"From a statistical point, certain girls are picked by various people
as superstars, but I feel very confident there are no girls looking
for singular praise," Jennison said. "It's all about St. Charles East
-- a team work ethic and a team mentality.
"These girls have a genuine belief, and trust, in each other. So we're not relying on any one
particular player to look to or build a game plan around. We have
players who can succeed all over the pitch."
Among St. Charles North's top players are senior midfielder Lizzie
Parrilli, junior mid Hailey Rydberg, freshman forward Gia Wahlberg,
and senior forward Hanna Durocher.
"Lizzie is a great playmaker. She can start and finish a play on the
offensive and defensive side of the field," Vostal said. "Hailey is a
highly skilled player who draws attention with her skilled touches and
ball movement. She creates many offensive chances for us. Hanna is a
heart-and-soul leader who can set other players up for success. And
our backline is solid -- working well as a unit."
Jennison said much the same regarding his team's play in its own end.
"We've scored a lot of goals, but it's due in large part to how we
have defended," he said. "Our front players feel they're under less
pressure. It gives us a lot of confidence knowing the players in the
back are playing as solidly as they have been."
In keeping with the desire not to over-hype Saturday's big match,
Vostal and Jennison each view the upcoming postseason in a similar
light.
"We hope to extend our season as long as we can," Vostal said. "We
love playing as a team, and we want to continue to have practices
together. The joy of winning is a celebration of our success, but the
focus is on improving each game, coming together as a family, and
living in the moment."
Jennison said, "The main mindset is having a practice today, take care
of what's right in front of us, and try to keep picking up wins as we
go along. We work hard to improve as a group, and when you have
players who are hard-working as this group, any success will be a
bonus at the end of the day."