Loyola, Fenwick face off
with GCAC Red crown at stake
By Michael Wojtychiw
The last week of the regular-season is an exciting time for teams. Some start to get ready for the state playoffs; others do that while trying to take home some hardware as they play for a conference title.
When Loyola and Fenwick face off Tuesday in Wilmette, a share of the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference’s Red Division will be on the line. The Ramblers come in with a 4-0-0 conference record, while the Friars carry a 3-1-0 mark. St. Ignatius stands between the two at 4-1, having lost to Loyola but given Fenwick its lone GCAC defeat. A Fenwick win would create a three-team tie for the crown.
"When we think about our team goals for the season, winning conference is always high up there," Loyola manager Shannon Hartinger said. "For us, it goes back to being consistent in performance. That's in every game, whether a conference game, an invite game or whomever the opponent is. We just want to be consistent.
"Winning conference is a big part of the consistency and what we're doing on the field."
Fenwick has a little more on its mind as well. Last year, the Ramblers were the lone team to defeat the Friars in conference play, defeating them twice when the conference went to a home-and-away format in the COVID-compressed 2021 season.
"We're really looking forward to this game and the opportunity to play a meaningful game. It's something our girls are really excited for," Fenwick manager Craig Blazer said. "We really want to use it as a benchmark to see where we're at coming into the playoffs. We feel like we're getting better with every game, every week.
"The positive, friendly rivalries are there, and we'll use it as motivation."
Loyola is coming off its toughest stretch of the season, jumping pretty much from the Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic almost right into the Naperville Invitational.
The squad depended on its experience-laden roster, as well as its tough defense, to knock off Warren, Stevenson and Geneva, and take Barrington to penalty kicks in the past two weeks.
For Hartinger, the stretch helped her and her staff learn more what the squad was about and how they stepped up to the plate every time they stepped onto the pitch.
"The consistency in our performance has been one of our goals since the beginning of the season and that's a big credit to our senior leadership and also the depth we carry," Hartinger said. "It's allowed us to really survive and excel in a tough stretch of games.
"The stretch between the two invites really tested our leadership and team cohesiveness and also gave us an opportunity to utilize that depth we do have."
Fenwick comes into its season finale with some mixed results but having won three of its last four, including clean-sheets over Latin, Proviso West and Montini and a close 1-0 loss to St. Ignatius.
Blazer has been encouraged in those games, as well as how his team has hung in with teams such as Young (win), Deerfield (tie) and Wheaton Warrenville South (1-0 loss).
"We've put a lot on our captains (Emily Ortiz, Abbie Rogowski, Kate Heniger and Audrey Hinrichs) in the sense that we want them to take over the organizational and emotional side of the team, and they have," the Fenwick manager said. "We've been executing. It's been having each girl performing at their best, and we're seeing the results."
With the regular-season coming to a close this week, both coaches have a feeling about what they're looking for down the stretch.
"As everyone starts to turn their attention to the playoffs, we want to use these two games this week to continue to prepare us for the postseason,” Hartinger said. “We have two competitive opponents who will allow us to continue to work on ourselves and deal with some different looks."
"We're looking for those areas of improvement, trying to get better every game and every half, consistently," Blazer said. "That's a big emphasis. Sometimes the girls spring season gets choppy with spring break and college visits, but we're just looking to find our best performance."
with GCAC Red crown at stake
By Michael Wojtychiw
The last week of the regular-season is an exciting time for teams. Some start to get ready for the state playoffs; others do that while trying to take home some hardware as they play for a conference title.
When Loyola and Fenwick face off Tuesday in Wilmette, a share of the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference’s Red Division will be on the line. The Ramblers come in with a 4-0-0 conference record, while the Friars carry a 3-1-0 mark. St. Ignatius stands between the two at 4-1, having lost to Loyola but given Fenwick its lone GCAC defeat. A Fenwick win would create a three-team tie for the crown.
"When we think about our team goals for the season, winning conference is always high up there," Loyola manager Shannon Hartinger said. "For us, it goes back to being consistent in performance. That's in every game, whether a conference game, an invite game or whomever the opponent is. We just want to be consistent.
"Winning conference is a big part of the consistency and what we're doing on the field."
Fenwick has a little more on its mind as well. Last year, the Ramblers were the lone team to defeat the Friars in conference play, defeating them twice when the conference went to a home-and-away format in the COVID-compressed 2021 season.
"We're really looking forward to this game and the opportunity to play a meaningful game. It's something our girls are really excited for," Fenwick manager Craig Blazer said. "We really want to use it as a benchmark to see where we're at coming into the playoffs. We feel like we're getting better with every game, every week.
"The positive, friendly rivalries are there, and we'll use it as motivation."
Loyola is coming off its toughest stretch of the season, jumping pretty much from the Lou Malnati's Deep Dish Classic almost right into the Naperville Invitational.
The squad depended on its experience-laden roster, as well as its tough defense, to knock off Warren, Stevenson and Geneva, and take Barrington to penalty kicks in the past two weeks.
For Hartinger, the stretch helped her and her staff learn more what the squad was about and how they stepped up to the plate every time they stepped onto the pitch.
"The consistency in our performance has been one of our goals since the beginning of the season and that's a big credit to our senior leadership and also the depth we carry," Hartinger said. "It's allowed us to really survive and excel in a tough stretch of games.
"The stretch between the two invites really tested our leadership and team cohesiveness and also gave us an opportunity to utilize that depth we do have."
Fenwick comes into its season finale with some mixed results but having won three of its last four, including clean-sheets over Latin, Proviso West and Montini and a close 1-0 loss to St. Ignatius.
Blazer has been encouraged in those games, as well as how his team has hung in with teams such as Young (win), Deerfield (tie) and Wheaton Warrenville South (1-0 loss).
"We've put a lot on our captains (Emily Ortiz, Abbie Rogowski, Kate Heniger and Audrey Hinrichs) in the sense that we want them to take over the organizational and emotional side of the team, and they have," the Fenwick manager said. "We've been executing. It's been having each girl performing at their best, and we're seeing the results."
With the regular-season coming to a close this week, both coaches have a feeling about what they're looking for down the stretch.
"As everyone starts to turn their attention to the playoffs, we want to use these two games this week to continue to prepare us for the postseason,” Hartinger said. “We have two competitive opponents who will allow us to continue to work on ourselves and deal with some different looks."
"We're looking for those areas of improvement, trying to get better every game and every half, consistently," Blazer said. "That's a big emphasis. Sometimes the girls spring season gets choppy with spring break and college visits, but we're just looking to find our best performance."