Mix of new, old in Class A Final Four
By Dave Owen
Depending on which half of the bracket you peruse, the Class A state semifinals will be combination of one part tradition, one part breakthrough.
The first match of the weekend kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday at North Central College in Naperville, pitting defending state champion Notre Dame-Quincy (24-3-2) against Althoff (19-3-4) from Belleville. Althoff makes its first state semifinals appearance since winning the Class AA title in 2010.
When those former state champions are done, the 7 p.m. semifinal will feature firsts of another kind.
Elite Chicago-area academic schools North Shore Country Day (15-4-0), of Winnetka, and University-Chicago (12-6-3) will each be making their debut in the state semifinals.
“It is a really fun atmosphere on campus for us,” said North Shore Country Day coach Lizzy Giffen, whose team built on their first-ever sectional title with a 7-1 supersectional win over Immaculate Conception on Tuesday.
“We haven't ever made it remotely this far in the past, so there is a great buzz at our school. I think the players are just enjoying each moment and love that we get to keep playing.”
Emotions are similar in the Hyde Park neighborhood, which before Tuesday had produced more Presidents of the United States than state soccer title contenders.
But like that former Oval Office resident Barack Obama, the Maroons don’t want their chance at history to end with anything but the top spot.
“We are clearly excited to break through to make it to the state finals,” said University-Chicago coach Bannon Stroud, whose team had made four previous supersectional appearances (including last year). “But now that we're here, we are looking to take advantage of this opportunity.
“It's taken a lot of work for us to get here, and the opportunities don't come by very often.”
As new as the state experience is for each side, the two teams know each other well.
North Shore Country Day posted a 1-0 win over University-Chicago on April 17, then defeated the Maroons again by a 2-0 score on May 4.
“We have beaten them twice, but by slim margins,” Giffen said. “And the second time we played them, they were much stronger than the first time.
“It’s always hard to beat a team three times, so we know we have our work cut out for us.”
The Maroons know a better performance will be needed to avoid a three-peat.
“NSCD has beaten us twice, so we will have to compete to put ourselves in position to win,” Stroud said. “They have outworked us each of the earlier matches, so we will have to match their work rate.”
North Shore Country Day has been an offensive juggernaut, outscoring its five postseason opponents by a combined 39-3 margin.
Edith Edwards-Mizel (26 goals, 21 assists this season) leads five Raiders with double-figure goal totals this spring. Emily Weil has scored 15, followed by Paige Forester with 11 and Caroline Segal and Allie Charnas with 10 goals apiece.
NSCD averages 4.8 goals per game for the season (91 in 19 matches).
“We're really a complete team,” said Giffen. “Yes, we have scored quite a few goals, but I think we have standouts across the field.”
Co-captains Anna Brennan (defender) and Gabby Greer (who along with junior Abby Renaud has excelled at goalkeeper) are the lone two seniors on the team, and are part of a defensive group that has posted seven shutouts.
“Defensively we've played well as a unit this entire year,” Giffen said, “and I think the cohesion and trust that those players have for each other has been important in our success.”
Defense has been the Maroons’ forte of late. University-Chicago has shut out four of its five postseason foes, upping its season total to nine. Like NSCD, the Maroons have their own lopsided scoring edge (23-2) in the playoffs.
“Our backline has generally been strong across the board,” Stroud said, “but our two center backs have been a rock all season. Fafa Van Ha is a team captain, and Ileana Minor has arguably been our best defender.”
Anna Kenig-Ziesler leads the Maroons in both goals (13) and assists (six). Samantha Rodman, Willow Young and Eleanor Skish have five goals each.
The winner of the Raiders-Maroons match will add another notch to their historic postseason run – a spot in the state finals.
But first things first.
“We're not thinking too much about the other half of the bracket,” Giffen said. “Since we haven't been this far before, we want to take it one game at a time and enjoy the ride.
“We know we have a job to do and will be focused come game time, regardless of who we play.”
The message is the same on the University-Chicago side.
“We are aware of the recent successes of Quincy Notre Dame and Althoff Catholic,” Stroud said. “They are exceptional programs, but our focus is on competing against NSCD.”
Like North Shore Country Day, Notre Dame-Quincy is also nicknamed the Raiders. And coach Mark Longo’s juggernaut from western Illinois (with four state titles in the last eight years) has also mirrored NSCD’s knack for scoring with 37 goals in five postseason games.
Olivia Dreyer has 22 goals this season, followed by 19 goals each by Isabella Anderson and Morgan Evans (16 assists) and Hannah Peters’ 17 goals and 11 assists.
Notre Dame-Quincy, which is ranked fifth in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, also allowed just 10 regular season goals -- four of which came against Class AA power St. Francis.
That 4-1 loss on April 28 was followed by eight-straight shutouts by the Lady Raiders, with single goals allowed in the last two playoff matches the lone breakthroughs by opponents since.
Althoff, under coach Juergen Huettner, features an explosive trio of scorers of its own in Liesl Whitner (33 goals, 18 assists), Julia O’Neill (29 goals) and Jessica Hoffman (22 goals, 15 assists).
Althoff’s defense has been an even bigger postseason story, posting five straight shutouts. That defense was key in the Crusaders last two matches. In the sectional final Althoff stunned host Columbia, the top-ranked team in the Illinois 10 poll, 1-0. Then the Crusaders, ranked ninth, topped St. Thomas More 3-0 in the supersectional to claim a spot in the Final Four.
By Dave Owen
Depending on which half of the bracket you peruse, the Class A state semifinals will be combination of one part tradition, one part breakthrough.
The first match of the weekend kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday at North Central College in Naperville, pitting defending state champion Notre Dame-Quincy (24-3-2) against Althoff (19-3-4) from Belleville. Althoff makes its first state semifinals appearance since winning the Class AA title in 2010.
When those former state champions are done, the 7 p.m. semifinal will feature firsts of another kind.
Elite Chicago-area academic schools North Shore Country Day (15-4-0), of Winnetka, and University-Chicago (12-6-3) will each be making their debut in the state semifinals.
“It is a really fun atmosphere on campus for us,” said North Shore Country Day coach Lizzy Giffen, whose team built on their first-ever sectional title with a 7-1 supersectional win over Immaculate Conception on Tuesday.
“We haven't ever made it remotely this far in the past, so there is a great buzz at our school. I think the players are just enjoying each moment and love that we get to keep playing.”
Emotions are similar in the Hyde Park neighborhood, which before Tuesday had produced more Presidents of the United States than state soccer title contenders.
But like that former Oval Office resident Barack Obama, the Maroons don’t want their chance at history to end with anything but the top spot.
“We are clearly excited to break through to make it to the state finals,” said University-Chicago coach Bannon Stroud, whose team had made four previous supersectional appearances (including last year). “But now that we're here, we are looking to take advantage of this opportunity.
“It's taken a lot of work for us to get here, and the opportunities don't come by very often.”
As new as the state experience is for each side, the two teams know each other well.
North Shore Country Day posted a 1-0 win over University-Chicago on April 17, then defeated the Maroons again by a 2-0 score on May 4.
“We have beaten them twice, but by slim margins,” Giffen said. “And the second time we played them, they were much stronger than the first time.
“It’s always hard to beat a team three times, so we know we have our work cut out for us.”
The Maroons know a better performance will be needed to avoid a three-peat.
“NSCD has beaten us twice, so we will have to compete to put ourselves in position to win,” Stroud said. “They have outworked us each of the earlier matches, so we will have to match their work rate.”
North Shore Country Day has been an offensive juggernaut, outscoring its five postseason opponents by a combined 39-3 margin.
Edith Edwards-Mizel (26 goals, 21 assists this season) leads five Raiders with double-figure goal totals this spring. Emily Weil has scored 15, followed by Paige Forester with 11 and Caroline Segal and Allie Charnas with 10 goals apiece.
NSCD averages 4.8 goals per game for the season (91 in 19 matches).
“We're really a complete team,” said Giffen. “Yes, we have scored quite a few goals, but I think we have standouts across the field.”
Co-captains Anna Brennan (defender) and Gabby Greer (who along with junior Abby Renaud has excelled at goalkeeper) are the lone two seniors on the team, and are part of a defensive group that has posted seven shutouts.
“Defensively we've played well as a unit this entire year,” Giffen said, “and I think the cohesion and trust that those players have for each other has been important in our success.”
Defense has been the Maroons’ forte of late. University-Chicago has shut out four of its five postseason foes, upping its season total to nine. Like NSCD, the Maroons have their own lopsided scoring edge (23-2) in the playoffs.
“Our backline has generally been strong across the board,” Stroud said, “but our two center backs have been a rock all season. Fafa Van Ha is a team captain, and Ileana Minor has arguably been our best defender.”
Anna Kenig-Ziesler leads the Maroons in both goals (13) and assists (six). Samantha Rodman, Willow Young and Eleanor Skish have five goals each.
The winner of the Raiders-Maroons match will add another notch to their historic postseason run – a spot in the state finals.
But first things first.
“We're not thinking too much about the other half of the bracket,” Giffen said. “Since we haven't been this far before, we want to take it one game at a time and enjoy the ride.
“We know we have a job to do and will be focused come game time, regardless of who we play.”
The message is the same on the University-Chicago side.
“We are aware of the recent successes of Quincy Notre Dame and Althoff Catholic,” Stroud said. “They are exceptional programs, but our focus is on competing against NSCD.”
Like North Shore Country Day, Notre Dame-Quincy is also nicknamed the Raiders. And coach Mark Longo’s juggernaut from western Illinois (with four state titles in the last eight years) has also mirrored NSCD’s knack for scoring with 37 goals in five postseason games.
Olivia Dreyer has 22 goals this season, followed by 19 goals each by Isabella Anderson and Morgan Evans (16 assists) and Hannah Peters’ 17 goals and 11 assists.
Notre Dame-Quincy, which is ranked fifth in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll, also allowed just 10 regular season goals -- four of which came against Class AA power St. Francis.
That 4-1 loss on April 28 was followed by eight-straight shutouts by the Lady Raiders, with single goals allowed in the last two playoff matches the lone breakthroughs by opponents since.
Althoff, under coach Juergen Huettner, features an explosive trio of scorers of its own in Liesl Whitner (33 goals, 18 assists), Julia O’Neill (29 goals) and Jessica Hoffman (22 goals, 15 assists).
Althoff’s defense has been an even bigger postseason story, posting five straight shutouts. That defense was key in the Crusaders last two matches. In the sectional final Althoff stunned host Columbia, the top-ranked team in the Illinois 10 poll, 1-0. Then the Crusaders, ranked ninth, topped St. Thomas More 3-0 in the supersectional to claim a spot in the Final Four.