LWW looks for payback against LWC
By Steve Millar
More than six weeks after falling to crosstown rival Lincoln-Way Central in a Windy City Ram Classic second round game, Lincoln-Way West will get its chance for revenge when the teams meet in a SouthWest Suburban Conference Red Division clash set for 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at Lincoln-Way West.
“Any time you play a cross-district rival, that adds an element of excitement to it,” Lincoln-Way West coach Jeff Theiss said. “A lot of the girls on both teams know each other. They’re friends off the field. The fact that they beat us earlier in the season, I’m sure, will give our girls a little extra fire.”
When the Knights and Warriors met on March 15, Lincoln-Way Central scored twice in the first half and cruised to a 2-0 win.
Surrendering early goals has continued to be an issue for Lincoln-Way West (6-7-1, 1-2).
“That’s a trend we simply have to fix,” Theiss said. “In our last five games, we’ve gone down. We got down 3-0 to Andrew and battled back to make it 3-2. We were down against Bradley-Bourbonnais and were able to fight back and get a win, but we’ve got to stop falling behind.”
The Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak with Tuesday’s win at Bradley-Bourbonnais as junior Angela Skonicki played the hero.
“They scored in the last minute of the first half and we were chasing pretty much the entire second half,” Theiss said. “Late in the game, Angela Skonicki scored her first-ever varsity goal.
“Then we go to overtime and, sure enough, Angela scores again to win it.”
The Warriors followed that up with a valiant effort in a 1-0 loss to Stagg.
Lincoln-Way Central (10-7-1, 2-1), meanwhile, is coming off the toughest stretch of its schedule, having gone just 1-5-1 in its last seven games.
The Knights took on a loaded field at the Naperville Invitational, going 0-3-1 in the event. They also suffered losses to Lincoln-Way East and Andrew during that span, with their lone win coming over Thornwood co-op.
Lincoln-Way Central's top threat is junior forward Nicolette Gossage, who plays like she can score any time she touches the ball. Senior forward Maddie Melde is another dangerous weapon up-top.
“At the end of the day, we have to stop Gossage,” Theiss said. “Her pace really caused us problems last time we played them. Of course, that was the second game of the season, and we had a lot of new players in the back. I think we’ll be more prepared this time.”
Theiss said the development of freshman defender Amanda Yaegar has been key for his team.
“Amanda is playing excellent for us in the back,” he said. “Our whole back line has come together well and they’re playing great as a group. We know Central will give them a good test.”
By Steve Millar
More than six weeks after falling to crosstown rival Lincoln-Way Central in a Windy City Ram Classic second round game, Lincoln-Way West will get its chance for revenge when the teams meet in a SouthWest Suburban Conference Red Division clash set for 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at Lincoln-Way West.
“Any time you play a cross-district rival, that adds an element of excitement to it,” Lincoln-Way West coach Jeff Theiss said. “A lot of the girls on both teams know each other. They’re friends off the field. The fact that they beat us earlier in the season, I’m sure, will give our girls a little extra fire.”
When the Knights and Warriors met on March 15, Lincoln-Way Central scored twice in the first half and cruised to a 2-0 win.
Surrendering early goals has continued to be an issue for Lincoln-Way West (6-7-1, 1-2).
“That’s a trend we simply have to fix,” Theiss said. “In our last five games, we’ve gone down. We got down 3-0 to Andrew and battled back to make it 3-2. We were down against Bradley-Bourbonnais and were able to fight back and get a win, but we’ve got to stop falling behind.”
The Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak with Tuesday’s win at Bradley-Bourbonnais as junior Angela Skonicki played the hero.
“They scored in the last minute of the first half and we were chasing pretty much the entire second half,” Theiss said. “Late in the game, Angela Skonicki scored her first-ever varsity goal.
“Then we go to overtime and, sure enough, Angela scores again to win it.”
The Warriors followed that up with a valiant effort in a 1-0 loss to Stagg.
Lincoln-Way Central (10-7-1, 2-1), meanwhile, is coming off the toughest stretch of its schedule, having gone just 1-5-1 in its last seven games.
The Knights took on a loaded field at the Naperville Invitational, going 0-3-1 in the event. They also suffered losses to Lincoln-Way East and Andrew during that span, with their lone win coming over Thornwood co-op.
Lincoln-Way Central's top threat is junior forward Nicolette Gossage, who plays like she can score any time she touches the ball. Senior forward Maddie Melde is another dangerous weapon up-top.
“At the end of the day, we have to stop Gossage,” Theiss said. “Her pace really caused us problems last time we played them. Of course, that was the second game of the season, and we had a lot of new players in the back. I think we’ll be more prepared this time.”
Theiss said the development of freshman defender Amanda Yaegar has been key for his team.
“Amanda is playing excellent for us in the back,” he said. “Our whole back line has come together well and they’re playing great as a group. We know Central will give them a good test.”