Senior-laden Vikings left it all on field
By Ken Keenan
Entering the 2015 season with 11 seniors on board, Fremd had hopes of
contending for a Mid-Suburban League championship and making a deep
run in postseason play.
But a 1-0 loss to Warren in the semifinals of the Class 3A Fremd
Regional concluded a rollercoaster campaign for the Vikings, who
finished 10-9-1 overall. Fremd lost its first three matches of the season to heavyweights St. Charles East, Lake Zurich and Barrington.
After the rocky start, the Vikings' posted a season-best, four-game win streak. The up-and-down campaign continued with: a 1-2-1 stretch; a three-game winning streak; and a 2-4-0 finish.
A benchmark of Fremd's season was a strong 7-3-1 mark in conference play, good for fourth place in the MSL Table and a runnerup spot in the West Division. Other highlights included a cross-over win against regional winner Buffalo Grove and a league win over Conant, which won the Schaumburg Sectional.
"We played a pretty tough schedule, so I knew there would be some
challenging games," said Fremd head coach Steve Keller, whose squad
lost to state-tested powers St. Charles East, Waubonsie Valley,
Barrington, Neuqua Valley and New Trier by a combined score of 19-4.
"You expect to have some bumps along the way, but we weren't
consistent enough on a game-to-game basis. When we were winning, we'd
score multiple goals. And then we'd win some 1-0, 2-0 games when the
defense was strong.
"When we weren't winning, it boiled down to the competition, or a
rival, or a couple mistakes, or we weren't composed in particular
moments."
Senior forward Jessica Kopec, who led the Vikings in scoring with 10
goals and five assists during her third varsity go-round, said that
frustration did creep in when things went wrong for a veteran team
with high expectations.
"When we get the momentum, we know how to play and get it done," said
Kopec, who will continue her soccer career at Saint Louis University,
with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. "Against teams
challenging us, if we get caught up in that, we can focus on the
negative. So when we have a depressing loss, it's hard because you
know you have the physical aspect. But then there's the mental aspect.
"I feel like, the losses, they could have been wins. So it is
disappointing where we ended up. We feel we had the potential, and
felt we could have gone farther."
Fellow forward Katie Zara, a team captain (along with senior defender
Liz Flavin and senior midfielder Sarah Marturano) was second in
scoring with five goals and four assists. The four-year varsity vet
agreed with Kopec, at the same time citing experience and togetherness
as means for keeping the Vikings pointed in the right direction.
"It was definitely frustrating when we had a little mistake or a
couple of glitches," said Zara, who plans to study business and play
club soccer at Washington University in St. Louis. "But it was always
very important to keep playing, and be a strong team for the full 80
minutes. I thought we progressed a lot and came together as the season
went along. And I can say, in all my four years, this was the nicest
and most determined group of girls I've played with. It was a true
team, and there was a lot of senior leadership -- not just one or two
players.
"We all had the same goals, so it wasn't too hard to work together."
Keller said, "That's a testament to them not getting down when things
went the wrong way. They had a positive outlook on everything, and
every one of them contributed. They were a positive group ... didn't
get too high or too low."
"Senior leadership helped drive the team," added Kopec. "A positive
attitude pulls you from hard times, and team spirit holds you together
to have a better next game. And the entire senior class had that same
initiative. In the hard times, it took one of us to step up, so it was
nice to see everyone on the team willing to step up."
Besides Kopec, Zara, Flavin and Marturano, the senior-dominated bunch
also featured defenders Caroline Freeman (two goals, assist), Emily
Rogers (two assists) and Annika Morin, as well as midfielders Danielle
Money (three goals, assist), Reilly Siepka (goal) and Janine Burchert
(goal), and forward Sarah Aftelak (two goals, assist).
"Jessica (Kopec) was a big part of our offense this year," Keller
said. "She was our most technical player -- very skilled -- and
produced a lot and created a lot of opportunities. She's also a hard
worker, a pleasure to coach, and her work ethic was contagious. Katie
(Zara) was asked to do different roles, depending on what was needed.
She probably was our biggest competitor, and one of our more physical
players too. She worked extremely hard to will our team to get things
done, and would defend anything all over the field.
"Freeman and Flavin were the two centerpieces on defense. Along with
Morin and Marturano, they anchored the back all year. Emily (Rogers)
played everywhere -- forward, wide-mid -- and she logged a lot of
minutes on 'D.' Reilly (Siepka) was a solid holding midfielder, and
Sarah (Aftelak) probably was our smartest player, with great vision
and playmaking abilities.
"Money and Burchert had some big contributions, too. All 11 seniors
stuck with the program all four years, and I'm very proud of what they
accomplished. There was good chemistry, and they worked pretty hard
for one another."
LOOKING AHEAD
Leading the list of returnees for the 2016 season are sophomore
goalkeeper Kelsie Stone, soph midfielder Missy Adrian and junior mid
Kellie Halloran. Playing in her second varsity campaign, Stone posted
a 1.34 goals-against average, with 10 shutouts. As a varsity rookie,
Adrian scored five goals, while Halloran tallied a goal and four
assists.
"With Kellie (Halloran) in the middle, Fremd will have good control,
and Missy (Adrian) will get things done up front," Zara predicted. "And,
no question, Kelsie (Stone) is one strong goalie back there. With
Kelsie in goal, you can't miss."
"(Stone) has a lot of potential -- every (opposing) coach would
comment on her after every game," Keller said. "Some of the saves she
makes, I don't know how she makes 'em. When you have a goalie like
her, you can be in most games. (Adrian) was one of our more dangerous
players with the ball at her feet. I pushed her all year -- she would
often rather pass than be the go-to. Hopefully, as a junior and
senior, she'll look to do that more.
"(Halloran) was one of our most important players in the midfield. She
has a really bright future."
Sophomore forward Tara Bergles (goal, assist) and soph mid Jukia
Szylke also saw a lot of action this season.
"Tara (Bergles) should have a big role on the forward line next year,
and Julia (Szylke) improved as the year went on to become one of our
more important players," Keller said.
Stone and Adrian both are eager to help implement the lessons learned
from their teammates representing the Class of 2015.
"I loved having 11 seniors this year," Stone said. "It was a little
disappointing we didn't go a little further, but they showed me and
the other (underclassmen) how to want to win every game. That's who we
want to be going forward. We want to take the new players and show
them how to work just as hard. There will be a lot of work next year.
But we want to take that next step."
"Playing with (11 seniors), it was really awesome," added Adrian.
"Everything was new to me on varsity, and they helped all the time.
Every new game, we'd learn from the past game and look to improve from
there. Learning from the older girls, I feel I can help the other
girls coming up. And I feel I'll be more confident with the ball, and
make the right decisions -- and be a little more confident that I can
score.
"I'm really excited about next season. I feel we can take that next
step to be one of those teams people don't really want to play, and I
feel we'll put forth the effort to be one of those teams."
Other players in the mix for 2016 include sophomore midfielder/forward
Emilijia Peleckas, who didn't play this year because of a broken
finger, as well as junior midfielders Dana Duffy, Katie Murauskis and
Courtney Baker.
"Peleckas is a very gifted player," Keller said. "She would have been
a starter and made a huge impact. She's a good playmaker and creator.
The other three will be seniors next year, and should have a big
impact on things after playing a lot on jv.
"We're losing a lot, so we need replacements. We should be decent at
midfield and the forward line, but we are losing the whole backline.
Next year, we're going to take our most talented players and put them
in a formation to be successful -- and find some other pieces so we
can continue to improve."
By Ken Keenan
Entering the 2015 season with 11 seniors on board, Fremd had hopes of
contending for a Mid-Suburban League championship and making a deep
run in postseason play.
But a 1-0 loss to Warren in the semifinals of the Class 3A Fremd
Regional concluded a rollercoaster campaign for the Vikings, who
finished 10-9-1 overall. Fremd lost its first three matches of the season to heavyweights St. Charles East, Lake Zurich and Barrington.
After the rocky start, the Vikings' posted a season-best, four-game win streak. The up-and-down campaign continued with: a 1-2-1 stretch; a three-game winning streak; and a 2-4-0 finish.
A benchmark of Fremd's season was a strong 7-3-1 mark in conference play, good for fourth place in the MSL Table and a runnerup spot in the West Division. Other highlights included a cross-over win against regional winner Buffalo Grove and a league win over Conant, which won the Schaumburg Sectional.
"We played a pretty tough schedule, so I knew there would be some
challenging games," said Fremd head coach Steve Keller, whose squad
lost to state-tested powers St. Charles East, Waubonsie Valley,
Barrington, Neuqua Valley and New Trier by a combined score of 19-4.
"You expect to have some bumps along the way, but we weren't
consistent enough on a game-to-game basis. When we were winning, we'd
score multiple goals. And then we'd win some 1-0, 2-0 games when the
defense was strong.
"When we weren't winning, it boiled down to the competition, or a
rival, or a couple mistakes, or we weren't composed in particular
moments."
Senior forward Jessica Kopec, who led the Vikings in scoring with 10
goals and five assists during her third varsity go-round, said that
frustration did creep in when things went wrong for a veteran team
with high expectations.
"When we get the momentum, we know how to play and get it done," said
Kopec, who will continue her soccer career at Saint Louis University,
with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry. "Against teams
challenging us, if we get caught up in that, we can focus on the
negative. So when we have a depressing loss, it's hard because you
know you have the physical aspect. But then there's the mental aspect.
"I feel like, the losses, they could have been wins. So it is
disappointing where we ended up. We feel we had the potential, and
felt we could have gone farther."
Fellow forward Katie Zara, a team captain (along with senior defender
Liz Flavin and senior midfielder Sarah Marturano) was second in
scoring with five goals and four assists. The four-year varsity vet
agreed with Kopec, at the same time citing experience and togetherness
as means for keeping the Vikings pointed in the right direction.
"It was definitely frustrating when we had a little mistake or a
couple of glitches," said Zara, who plans to study business and play
club soccer at Washington University in St. Louis. "But it was always
very important to keep playing, and be a strong team for the full 80
minutes. I thought we progressed a lot and came together as the season
went along. And I can say, in all my four years, this was the nicest
and most determined group of girls I've played with. It was a true
team, and there was a lot of senior leadership -- not just one or two
players.
"We all had the same goals, so it wasn't too hard to work together."
Keller said, "That's a testament to them not getting down when things
went the wrong way. They had a positive outlook on everything, and
every one of them contributed. They were a positive group ... didn't
get too high or too low."
"Senior leadership helped drive the team," added Kopec. "A positive
attitude pulls you from hard times, and team spirit holds you together
to have a better next game. And the entire senior class had that same
initiative. In the hard times, it took one of us to step up, so it was
nice to see everyone on the team willing to step up."
Besides Kopec, Zara, Flavin and Marturano, the senior-dominated bunch
also featured defenders Caroline Freeman (two goals, assist), Emily
Rogers (two assists) and Annika Morin, as well as midfielders Danielle
Money (three goals, assist), Reilly Siepka (goal) and Janine Burchert
(goal), and forward Sarah Aftelak (two goals, assist).
"Jessica (Kopec) was a big part of our offense this year," Keller
said. "She was our most technical player -- very skilled -- and
produced a lot and created a lot of opportunities. She's also a hard
worker, a pleasure to coach, and her work ethic was contagious. Katie
(Zara) was asked to do different roles, depending on what was needed.
She probably was our biggest competitor, and one of our more physical
players too. She worked extremely hard to will our team to get things
done, and would defend anything all over the field.
"Freeman and Flavin were the two centerpieces on defense. Along with
Morin and Marturano, they anchored the back all year. Emily (Rogers)
played everywhere -- forward, wide-mid -- and she logged a lot of
minutes on 'D.' Reilly (Siepka) was a solid holding midfielder, and
Sarah (Aftelak) probably was our smartest player, with great vision
and playmaking abilities.
"Money and Burchert had some big contributions, too. All 11 seniors
stuck with the program all four years, and I'm very proud of what they
accomplished. There was good chemistry, and they worked pretty hard
for one another."
LOOKING AHEAD
Leading the list of returnees for the 2016 season are sophomore
goalkeeper Kelsie Stone, soph midfielder Missy Adrian and junior mid
Kellie Halloran. Playing in her second varsity campaign, Stone posted
a 1.34 goals-against average, with 10 shutouts. As a varsity rookie,
Adrian scored five goals, while Halloran tallied a goal and four
assists.
"With Kellie (Halloran) in the middle, Fremd will have good control,
and Missy (Adrian) will get things done up front," Zara predicted. "And,
no question, Kelsie (Stone) is one strong goalie back there. With
Kelsie in goal, you can't miss."
"(Stone) has a lot of potential -- every (opposing) coach would
comment on her after every game," Keller said. "Some of the saves she
makes, I don't know how she makes 'em. When you have a goalie like
her, you can be in most games. (Adrian) was one of our more dangerous
players with the ball at her feet. I pushed her all year -- she would
often rather pass than be the go-to. Hopefully, as a junior and
senior, she'll look to do that more.
"(Halloran) was one of our most important players in the midfield. She
has a really bright future."
Sophomore forward Tara Bergles (goal, assist) and soph mid Jukia
Szylke also saw a lot of action this season.
"Tara (Bergles) should have a big role on the forward line next year,
and Julia (Szylke) improved as the year went on to become one of our
more important players," Keller said.
Stone and Adrian both are eager to help implement the lessons learned
from their teammates representing the Class of 2015.
"I loved having 11 seniors this year," Stone said. "It was a little
disappointing we didn't go a little further, but they showed me and
the other (underclassmen) how to want to win every game. That's who we
want to be going forward. We want to take the new players and show
them how to work just as hard. There will be a lot of work next year.
But we want to take that next step."
"Playing with (11 seniors), it was really awesome," added Adrian.
"Everything was new to me on varsity, and they helped all the time.
Every new game, we'd learn from the past game and look to improve from
there. Learning from the older girls, I feel I can help the other
girls coming up. And I feel I'll be more confident with the ball, and
make the right decisions -- and be a little more confident that I can
score.
"I'm really excited about next season. I feel we can take that next
step to be one of those teams people don't really want to play, and I
feel we'll put forth the effort to be one of those teams."
Other players in the mix for 2016 include sophomore midfielder/forward
Emilijia Peleckas, who didn't play this year because of a broken
finger, as well as junior midfielders Dana Duffy, Katie Murauskis and
Courtney Baker.
"Peleckas is a very gifted player," Keller said. "She would have been
a starter and made a huge impact. She's a good playmaker and creator.
The other three will be seniors next year, and should have a big
impact on things after playing a lot on jv.
"We're losing a lot, so we need replacements. We should be decent at
midfield and the forward line, but we are losing the whole backline.
Next year, we're going to take our most talented players and put them
in a formation to be successful -- and find some other pieces so we
can continue to improve."