It's rivalry time: Evanston at New Trier
By Mike Garofola
The best players in the game seem to have positions as hard to define as their individual talents.
New Trier, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, has one who is a potent mix of attacking midfielder, winger and center forward with the intelligence and mental acuity to know where to be and when her teammates need her most.
This describes New Trier senior Nicole Kaspi.
Among a star-filled squad, Kaspi stands out in many ways. And besides her talents as a player, Kaspi bleeds the Trevians blue and green. She places her teammates, program and high school above all else. That will be evident when New Trier (14-0-2) hosts Evanston (9-7-2) in their annual Central Suburban League South Division rivalry game at 7 p.m. Friday.
"I just love playing soccer at New Trier," Kaspi said with a smile. "I'll miss all of it.
"My teammates, the bus rides, the tradition (here) and playing for (manager Jim) Burnside -- he's made the experience at New Trier extra special.
"We have a calendar up in our soccer room, and the months (left) in our season, and my high school career are being torn off way too fast.
"I'd like to slow that down, because I enjoy being a part of this team and my high school so much. But I also know the next chapter in my life is about to begin."
Kaspi, who bagged 16 goals a year ago for the Class 3A state runnerup, and a key goal during her sophomore season in the Trevians state semifinal victory en route to an eventual state title, has committed to play soccer next fall at the University of Chicago.
"When I put a list together of what I was looking for in a college, being close to home, academics, and playing at a quality D III program were all right at the top of that list," recounted Kaspi, who looks to earn a degree in Pyschology with a desire of going into the field of marketing after graduation.
"The coaches at Chicago came to see me play a couple of times when I was playing for my club team (FC United), but it was my visit there that really sold me on going there."
"The tradition alone of the University of Chicago is amazing, plus the coaching staff, style of play and knowing two former New Trier players (Dana Ulrich and Amy Reifert) made it all a perfect fit."
All of this does not mean Kaspi is anxious to begin at the Hyde Park campus.
"This is the best time of the season coming up," Kaspi said.
"We're in a amazing conference for soccer, with some great rivalry schools that we play, including Evanston, who we have at home on Friday.
"We know each other real well, and many of their players are with the same club (FC United) that several of us are on."
Kaspi said Burnside and his staff will have a game plan in effect, including a formation in which she usually is deployed as the single forward in a modified 4-1-4-1 set-up.
"We have a lot of respect for our opponents, especially one like Evanston, so all of us are looking forward to this game a lot."
Burnsides' time honored tradition of having an air-tight backline has been a work of art this year. He's rebuilt the unit around veterans Sydney Parker and Caroline Iserloth.
"Defense wins championships, trite but true. Our first four sessions of the year are focused on defense, and our team knows that they're all defenders, (but) it's our backline who take are great deal of pride in working to keep the ball out of the back of the net," said the Trevians manager.
Burnside points out that during Iserloth's four-year career New Trier has registered 78 clean-sheets so far, highlighted by the Trevians conceding just two in both the Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic and the Naperville Invitational.
After a surprise failure to to advance out of the group stage of the Malnati's tournament, the Trevians defeated Naperville North to lift the big trophy in Naperville.
"My assistant, Molly Lombardi has taken the defense under her wing, and has coached them to be a gritty, intelligent group, she's a great coach and educator," said Burnside.
Evanston manager Stacy Salgado has done a masterful job navigating her club through the same tournament waters as New Trier. The Wildkits have taken a few hits along the way, yet have rebounded with the wind in their sails in advance of this key CSL South contest this evening.
Salgado has been challenged by a remarkable turn of events in goal. Evanston used one of its best field players, Ruby Siegel, and JV forward Abra Levin to stand in for Caitlin Fitzpatrick and Sylvi Imrem.
"We're almost fully healthy. And despite our goalie shuffle we went through, we know know Caitlin is done for the year, Sylvi has excelled in her role as our full-time keeper," said Salgado.
"Like other teams, we're dealing with numerous minor injuries, but we'll play through them."
Salgado had plenty to say about the Wildkits' schedule, one which would have made many teams wilt.
"The schedule is almost unrelenting and challenging with the test of playing high-profile teams," she said.
"Playing 3-4 games in a week, back-to-backs, with no time for true recovery or quality time to train, plus the travel -- (you) have to keep in mind most of these girls are also taking extremely challenging academic course loads.
"It's impossible for professional players to be 100% mentally and physically in it because of their schedule, yet we ask my high school-aged girls to manage it.
"They have done very well at doing the best they can in these tournament settings which are much more challenging than the state playoffs."
With all this said, Salgado is not one to use any of this as an excuse for poor play or a defeat, and it shows in the work rate her players have put forth. That's something Salgado and her staff are proud of -- they have proven they can play with the best in this half of the state.
As a point of reference, Evanston drew 0-0 with no. 3 Naperville North gave Class AA state power St. Francis one of its two losses this season. The Wildkits lost to no. 12 St. Charles East in PKs and conceded the game-winner in the last 30 seconds to Class AA title contender Burlington Central.
Top top it off, the Wildkits were runners-up at the Malnati's to no. 10 Glenbrook South.
"With us being to show that we can play with the best, we have also proven to ourselves that on any given night, we are capable of beating anyone that might potentially stand in our path towards state success," said Salgado.
"The hardest part of soccer is scoring goals and finishing your oppotunities. When we score, we win.
"The girls have and willl create opportunities, but we must improve on our consistency of our first touch, our vision, focus, resolve, creativity and finishing (all) of the elements that go into scoring goals."
New Trier has locked up the league title, but both sides covet the momentum and memories at stake.
Game on.
Click here for Central Suburban League South Division standings
By Mike Garofola
The best players in the game seem to have positions as hard to define as their individual talents.
New Trier, ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, has one who is a potent mix of attacking midfielder, winger and center forward with the intelligence and mental acuity to know where to be and when her teammates need her most.
This describes New Trier senior Nicole Kaspi.
Among a star-filled squad, Kaspi stands out in many ways. And besides her talents as a player, Kaspi bleeds the Trevians blue and green. She places her teammates, program and high school above all else. That will be evident when New Trier (14-0-2) hosts Evanston (9-7-2) in their annual Central Suburban League South Division rivalry game at 7 p.m. Friday.
"I just love playing soccer at New Trier," Kaspi said with a smile. "I'll miss all of it.
"My teammates, the bus rides, the tradition (here) and playing for (manager Jim) Burnside -- he's made the experience at New Trier extra special.
"We have a calendar up in our soccer room, and the months (left) in our season, and my high school career are being torn off way too fast.
"I'd like to slow that down, because I enjoy being a part of this team and my high school so much. But I also know the next chapter in my life is about to begin."
Kaspi, who bagged 16 goals a year ago for the Class 3A state runnerup, and a key goal during her sophomore season in the Trevians state semifinal victory en route to an eventual state title, has committed to play soccer next fall at the University of Chicago.
"When I put a list together of what I was looking for in a college, being close to home, academics, and playing at a quality D III program were all right at the top of that list," recounted Kaspi, who looks to earn a degree in Pyschology with a desire of going into the field of marketing after graduation.
"The coaches at Chicago came to see me play a couple of times when I was playing for my club team (FC United), but it was my visit there that really sold me on going there."
"The tradition alone of the University of Chicago is amazing, plus the coaching staff, style of play and knowing two former New Trier players (Dana Ulrich and Amy Reifert) made it all a perfect fit."
All of this does not mean Kaspi is anxious to begin at the Hyde Park campus.
"This is the best time of the season coming up," Kaspi said.
"We're in a amazing conference for soccer, with some great rivalry schools that we play, including Evanston, who we have at home on Friday.
"We know each other real well, and many of their players are with the same club (FC United) that several of us are on."
Kaspi said Burnside and his staff will have a game plan in effect, including a formation in which she usually is deployed as the single forward in a modified 4-1-4-1 set-up.
"We have a lot of respect for our opponents, especially one like Evanston, so all of us are looking forward to this game a lot."
Burnsides' time honored tradition of having an air-tight backline has been a work of art this year. He's rebuilt the unit around veterans Sydney Parker and Caroline Iserloth.
"Defense wins championships, trite but true. Our first four sessions of the year are focused on defense, and our team knows that they're all defenders, (but) it's our backline who take are great deal of pride in working to keep the ball out of the back of the net," said the Trevians manager.
Burnside points out that during Iserloth's four-year career New Trier has registered 78 clean-sheets so far, highlighted by the Trevians conceding just two in both the Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic and the Naperville Invitational.
After a surprise failure to to advance out of the group stage of the Malnati's tournament, the Trevians defeated Naperville North to lift the big trophy in Naperville.
"My assistant, Molly Lombardi has taken the defense under her wing, and has coached them to be a gritty, intelligent group, she's a great coach and educator," said Burnside.
Evanston manager Stacy Salgado has done a masterful job navigating her club through the same tournament waters as New Trier. The Wildkits have taken a few hits along the way, yet have rebounded with the wind in their sails in advance of this key CSL South contest this evening.
Salgado has been challenged by a remarkable turn of events in goal. Evanston used one of its best field players, Ruby Siegel, and JV forward Abra Levin to stand in for Caitlin Fitzpatrick and Sylvi Imrem.
"We're almost fully healthy. And despite our goalie shuffle we went through, we know know Caitlin is done for the year, Sylvi has excelled in her role as our full-time keeper," said Salgado.
"Like other teams, we're dealing with numerous minor injuries, but we'll play through them."
Salgado had plenty to say about the Wildkits' schedule, one which would have made many teams wilt.
"The schedule is almost unrelenting and challenging with the test of playing high-profile teams," she said.
"Playing 3-4 games in a week, back-to-backs, with no time for true recovery or quality time to train, plus the travel -- (you) have to keep in mind most of these girls are also taking extremely challenging academic course loads.
"It's impossible for professional players to be 100% mentally and physically in it because of their schedule, yet we ask my high school-aged girls to manage it.
"They have done very well at doing the best they can in these tournament settings which are much more challenging than the state playoffs."
With all this said, Salgado is not one to use any of this as an excuse for poor play or a defeat, and it shows in the work rate her players have put forth. That's something Salgado and her staff are proud of -- they have proven they can play with the best in this half of the state.
As a point of reference, Evanston drew 0-0 with no. 3 Naperville North gave Class AA state power St. Francis one of its two losses this season. The Wildkits lost to no. 12 St. Charles East in PKs and conceded the game-winner in the last 30 seconds to Class AA title contender Burlington Central.
Top top it off, the Wildkits were runners-up at the Malnati's to no. 10 Glenbrook South.
"With us being to show that we can play with the best, we have also proven to ourselves that on any given night, we are capable of beating anyone that might potentially stand in our path towards state success," said Salgado.
"The hardest part of soccer is scoring goals and finishing your oppotunities. When we score, we win.
"The girls have and willl create opportunities, but we must improve on our consistency of our first touch, our vision, focus, resolve, creativity and finishing (all) of the elements that go into scoring goals."
New Trier has locked up the league title, but both sides covet the momentum and memories at stake.
Game on.
Click here for Central Suburban League South Division standings