Season recap: Young
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Mia Lisanti cut down the left flank of the college field at UIC to create a dangerous opportunity against Lane. At that juncture, deep in the second half and the Indians firmly in control of the Chicago Public League championship game, Lisanti had just one objective -- score and provide Young a measure of satisfaction, at least one positive development.
But Lane keeper Brianna Love made a quick and sharp move and cut off the shot. Lisanti pumped her fist, more in frustration than anger. Like her team, she was foiled again.
“In our city games, especially when we play Lane, there is always a lot of stress involved,” Lisanti said a couple of weeks after that 4-0 Lane victory gave the Indians their fifth-consecutive city championship.
On May 10, the day after that game, first-year Young coach Ross LaBauex held a team meeting. The city title holds a great emotional pull for the Young players. Losing to rival Lane only deepened the frustration.
LaBauex had a different message. A city title was not the pinnacle.
The city tournament crown holds such a cachet with players because of the structural disadvantages of trying to compete against the top suburban programs in the state tournament.
The city tournament is typically the only time programs like Young feel the playing field is level.
As a former Chicago Catholic League star at Mount Carmel, LaBaeux was something of an outsider as he coached in the Public League for the first time. He realized he had to alter cultural presuppositions and began with a question.
Don’t we want to win all the championships we are involved in?
“Of course,” he said, “but I’d rather lose that game and learn from it and really focus on the state games.
“I remember when I was in college [at the University of Virginia] and thinking it would be great to win the ACC Tournament, but our goal was to win the national championship.”
Sparked by the all-around brilliance of Lisanti -- a two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-state player -- and an influx of superb freshmen, Young quickly rubbed out the sting of the Lane defeat to achieve its greatest state tournament success in more than a decade.
The season began with as many questions as answers, an inevitable action given LaBauex was a late hire and had little time to immerse himself in the fabric of the program.
When the year truly mattered, Young emerged down the stretch as one of the top teams in the state.
“Ross brought a lot of optimism and energy into the program, and he convinced us we could do well against the best teams in the state,” Lisanti said. “In the past, when we played the great suburban teams, I am not sure we had the confidence we could compete against them.”
The Dolphins learned it was not a question of where a team begins but where it finishes. Young exceeded every expectation on that front. Young suffered a narrow 2-1 loss against Lyons in a Class 3A sectional final at Glenbard East on May 25. The Lions went on to finish fourth in the state tournament.
In finishing the season 18-7-1, Young closed out the year on a superb 14-3-0 run that included administering the first loss to St. Ignatius and advancing to its deepest point in the state tournament since 2000.
Young finished no. 16 in Chicagoland Soccer’s Final 50 poll, a remarkable change of fortunes for a program that was just 4-4-1 after a shootout loss against Glenbard West in the PepsiCo Showdown on April 6.
In beating a standout Glenbard East team 1-0 on a goal by senior forward Audrey Howaniec, Young captured its first regional championship since winning a string of three from 2006 to 2008.
Goals by freshmen standouts Ella Koleno and Alexis Sassower powered the 2–0 sectional semifinal win over York.
Not since the 1999 and 2000 seasons, during the single-class system where the city tournament functioned as its own supersectional and produced an automatic state qualifier, had Young advanced so far into the state tournament.
Lisanti created the equalizer against Lyons in the sectional final. Though Young’s season ended that day, the team made a statement and showed a very bright future with so many of its best players returning next year.
Senior keeper Mia Engelmann went out in great style. She finished with 98 saves and a 0.96 goals-against average. She earned 11 shutouts, the most impressive were the three straight she posted in the Dolphins’ first three state tournament games.
She also excelled in pressure situations, stopping a penalty kick against St. Ignatius star Ella Richards and dominating Jones in a memorable shootout in the city semifinals.
Fifteen different players scored at least one goal. Sixteen players generated an assist. Ella Koleno emerged as one of the state’s best freshmen with her team-best 21 goals. Her speed on the perimeter gave a propulsive kick to the Dolphins’ attack. She added 11 assists.
Her twin sister Sydney Koleno, a defensive midfielder, also flashed great talent. Sassower ended with 12 goals and 10 assists.
Having freshmen contributors in girls soccer is not necessarily rare but having three players who showed the poise, toughness and skill to make a difference on a sectional finalist represents something special.
“We have been friends with Alexis since we were three years old, and we have played together on a lot of different teams over the years,” Sydney Koleno said. “She is a great player, and we all work together really well on the field.”
As always, Lisanti was the fulcrum of the attack. She finished with 20 goals and a team-best 13 goals in earning her second-consecutive Chicagoland Soccer all-state distinction.
“Mia is a leader,” LaBauex said. “She just does what she has to do to win. She is such a positive player.”
Lisanti combines touch, grace, a superb physical presence and tenacity and drive that separates her from the pack. She set the tone and the rest of the players followed in her path.
Howaniec, another jet-quick talent, added five goals and two assists. Senior midfielder Eleanor Shoreline scored four goals.
Though it took some time, at the right time the parts all synchronized beautifully with the savvy and experience of the older players meshing with the electric energy and raw skill of the young players.
“We had such an amazing season,” Ella Koleno said. “Everyone played so well, and I am just happy I was able to contribute. My teammates played a huge part in the goals I scored, especially Mia.
“After the devastating loss against Lane in the city final, we discussed what we really wanted out of the season. Ross told us that we could either be discouraged by the loss or we could use it as motivation for the rest of the season. He made us believe we could do great things.”
LaBauex said the key was giving his young talent the opportunities to learn and play through their own mistakes and inexperience.
“Sometimes with freshmen, there is a tendency of coaches to micromanage them and not really trust them, and I did not want to do that,” he said. “I wanted to throw them out there, a kind of baptism by fire, and I had the confidence in them that they were going to figure it out.
“Were there ups and downs? Of course. Was it always perfect? Of course not. They understood I trusted them, and they were able to go out there and enjoy the game. They picked up things very well. They didn’t have preconceived notions. They were feeling the energy from everybody else.”
As a player, LaBauex played at the highest levels. In high school he was a NSCAA All-American (2006) and went on to play and win a national championship (2009) in his four-year career at Virginia. He was a second round draft choice of the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
Taking over for the respected and successful Spero Mandakas, who left for the boys job at Glenbard North, LaBauex knew the change was going to take time, for both sides, to process.
“The time that you have is very short, and you are trying to keep it simple,” he said. “You don’t want to overwhelm the kids. They were used to a [different] coach and a style of play. Trying to figure out my starting lineup, who was going to give us the best chance of winning, was always a challenge.
“I think we had a lot of growing pains, just logistics, how practice was going to be run, how spring break was going to impact the season. Every time we saw success that people did not think we could do, the kids just kept on believing. It was a great thing to see going.”
Cannily, LaBauex went to the heart of the matter. The perceived lack of respect city programs like Young are subjected to from their suburban and private school peers.
“Ross was not happy about our [state] seeding, and he said we had to go out and prove, starting with Willowbrook, that we were better than what people thought,” Lisanti said.
Young and Lane are typically short-changed in the seeding format. The no. 7 sectional seed drew the coach’s ire. The state tournament amounted to a payback. First, LaBauex knew he had to address the deep emotional investment of the city tournament.
“We had to shift that focus,” he said. “The city in the past has been so important. There is still this mental block about Lane, and we have to address that next year. I liked how we responded after the Lane game. I think the more we saw ourselves winning, we realized this could be a thing. I never went into any games scared.
“I told them, let’s just go out there and do our thing.”
With the graduation of Engelmann, Howaniec, Sherline and ace defenders Carson Herman and Addie Schlensker, Young must account for those considerable losses.
The team discovered the joy and ecstasy of being one of the final 16 teams in the state field. Going forward, the team is pumped for the next step in their evolution.
“I absolutely can’t wait for next year,” Sydney Koleno said. “Although we are really going to miss the seniors, we have tons of returning talent. It is so exciting to think about what we are going to be able to do next season.”
Lisanti and the precocious freshmen project as the headliners, but they are not alone. Midfielders Stella Ljung and Annalise Kelner are very talented. Junior Lauren Ehlers is a rangy defender who is very skilled on set pieces. Junior forward Ayana Loyd fills in an athletic piece of the puzzle.
LaBauex is permitted 25 contact days with his players during the summer and is looking forward to camp. As much as they are excited about the future, for the moment they are luxuriating in current memories.
“Our motto this year was ‘Why not us?’” LaBauex said. “Why can’t we have success and do these things? The more they believed, the more they were confident and that was the reason we had so much success.
“Now I think the excitement is how the process is set up. The kids know how I like to play. They know me more and trust me more. We have some freshmen we are going to be moved up. We are going to hit the ground running. We lose a lot of players, but we also return a lot. We got a taste of it, and now I am very excited for next year.”
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Mia Lisanti cut down the left flank of the college field at UIC to create a dangerous opportunity against Lane. At that juncture, deep in the second half and the Indians firmly in control of the Chicago Public League championship game, Lisanti had just one objective -- score and provide Young a measure of satisfaction, at least one positive development.
But Lane keeper Brianna Love made a quick and sharp move and cut off the shot. Lisanti pumped her fist, more in frustration than anger. Like her team, she was foiled again.
“In our city games, especially when we play Lane, there is always a lot of stress involved,” Lisanti said a couple of weeks after that 4-0 Lane victory gave the Indians their fifth-consecutive city championship.
On May 10, the day after that game, first-year Young coach Ross LaBauex held a team meeting. The city title holds a great emotional pull for the Young players. Losing to rival Lane only deepened the frustration.
LaBauex had a different message. A city title was not the pinnacle.
The city tournament crown holds such a cachet with players because of the structural disadvantages of trying to compete against the top suburban programs in the state tournament.
The city tournament is typically the only time programs like Young feel the playing field is level.
As a former Chicago Catholic League star at Mount Carmel, LaBaeux was something of an outsider as he coached in the Public League for the first time. He realized he had to alter cultural presuppositions and began with a question.
Don’t we want to win all the championships we are involved in?
“Of course,” he said, “but I’d rather lose that game and learn from it and really focus on the state games.
“I remember when I was in college [at the University of Virginia] and thinking it would be great to win the ACC Tournament, but our goal was to win the national championship.”
Sparked by the all-around brilliance of Lisanti -- a two-time Chicagoland Soccer all-state player -- and an influx of superb freshmen, Young quickly rubbed out the sting of the Lane defeat to achieve its greatest state tournament success in more than a decade.
The season began with as many questions as answers, an inevitable action given LaBauex was a late hire and had little time to immerse himself in the fabric of the program.
When the year truly mattered, Young emerged down the stretch as one of the top teams in the state.
“Ross brought a lot of optimism and energy into the program, and he convinced us we could do well against the best teams in the state,” Lisanti said. “In the past, when we played the great suburban teams, I am not sure we had the confidence we could compete against them.”
The Dolphins learned it was not a question of where a team begins but where it finishes. Young exceeded every expectation on that front. Young suffered a narrow 2-1 loss against Lyons in a Class 3A sectional final at Glenbard East on May 25. The Lions went on to finish fourth in the state tournament.
In finishing the season 18-7-1, Young closed out the year on a superb 14-3-0 run that included administering the first loss to St. Ignatius and advancing to its deepest point in the state tournament since 2000.
Young finished no. 16 in Chicagoland Soccer’s Final 50 poll, a remarkable change of fortunes for a program that was just 4-4-1 after a shootout loss against Glenbard West in the PepsiCo Showdown on April 6.
In beating a standout Glenbard East team 1-0 on a goal by senior forward Audrey Howaniec, Young captured its first regional championship since winning a string of three from 2006 to 2008.
Goals by freshmen standouts Ella Koleno and Alexis Sassower powered the 2–0 sectional semifinal win over York.
Not since the 1999 and 2000 seasons, during the single-class system where the city tournament functioned as its own supersectional and produced an automatic state qualifier, had Young advanced so far into the state tournament.
Lisanti created the equalizer against Lyons in the sectional final. Though Young’s season ended that day, the team made a statement and showed a very bright future with so many of its best players returning next year.
Senior keeper Mia Engelmann went out in great style. She finished with 98 saves and a 0.96 goals-against average. She earned 11 shutouts, the most impressive were the three straight she posted in the Dolphins’ first three state tournament games.
She also excelled in pressure situations, stopping a penalty kick against St. Ignatius star Ella Richards and dominating Jones in a memorable shootout in the city semifinals.
Fifteen different players scored at least one goal. Sixteen players generated an assist. Ella Koleno emerged as one of the state’s best freshmen with her team-best 21 goals. Her speed on the perimeter gave a propulsive kick to the Dolphins’ attack. She added 11 assists.
Her twin sister Sydney Koleno, a defensive midfielder, also flashed great talent. Sassower ended with 12 goals and 10 assists.
Having freshmen contributors in girls soccer is not necessarily rare but having three players who showed the poise, toughness and skill to make a difference on a sectional finalist represents something special.
“We have been friends with Alexis since we were three years old, and we have played together on a lot of different teams over the years,” Sydney Koleno said. “She is a great player, and we all work together really well on the field.”
As always, Lisanti was the fulcrum of the attack. She finished with 20 goals and a team-best 13 goals in earning her second-consecutive Chicagoland Soccer all-state distinction.
“Mia is a leader,” LaBauex said. “She just does what she has to do to win. She is such a positive player.”
Lisanti combines touch, grace, a superb physical presence and tenacity and drive that separates her from the pack. She set the tone and the rest of the players followed in her path.
Howaniec, another jet-quick talent, added five goals and two assists. Senior midfielder Eleanor Shoreline scored four goals.
Though it took some time, at the right time the parts all synchronized beautifully with the savvy and experience of the older players meshing with the electric energy and raw skill of the young players.
“We had such an amazing season,” Ella Koleno said. “Everyone played so well, and I am just happy I was able to contribute. My teammates played a huge part in the goals I scored, especially Mia.
“After the devastating loss against Lane in the city final, we discussed what we really wanted out of the season. Ross told us that we could either be discouraged by the loss or we could use it as motivation for the rest of the season. He made us believe we could do great things.”
LaBauex said the key was giving his young talent the opportunities to learn and play through their own mistakes and inexperience.
“Sometimes with freshmen, there is a tendency of coaches to micromanage them and not really trust them, and I did not want to do that,” he said. “I wanted to throw them out there, a kind of baptism by fire, and I had the confidence in them that they were going to figure it out.
“Were there ups and downs? Of course. Was it always perfect? Of course not. They understood I trusted them, and they were able to go out there and enjoy the game. They picked up things very well. They didn’t have preconceived notions. They were feeling the energy from everybody else.”
As a player, LaBauex played at the highest levels. In high school he was a NSCAA All-American (2006) and went on to play and win a national championship (2009) in his four-year career at Virginia. He was a second round draft choice of the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
Taking over for the respected and successful Spero Mandakas, who left for the boys job at Glenbard North, LaBauex knew the change was going to take time, for both sides, to process.
“The time that you have is very short, and you are trying to keep it simple,” he said. “You don’t want to overwhelm the kids. They were used to a [different] coach and a style of play. Trying to figure out my starting lineup, who was going to give us the best chance of winning, was always a challenge.
“I think we had a lot of growing pains, just logistics, how practice was going to be run, how spring break was going to impact the season. Every time we saw success that people did not think we could do, the kids just kept on believing. It was a great thing to see going.”
Cannily, LaBauex went to the heart of the matter. The perceived lack of respect city programs like Young are subjected to from their suburban and private school peers.
“Ross was not happy about our [state] seeding, and he said we had to go out and prove, starting with Willowbrook, that we were better than what people thought,” Lisanti said.
Young and Lane are typically short-changed in the seeding format. The no. 7 sectional seed drew the coach’s ire. The state tournament amounted to a payback. First, LaBauex knew he had to address the deep emotional investment of the city tournament.
“We had to shift that focus,” he said. “The city in the past has been so important. There is still this mental block about Lane, and we have to address that next year. I liked how we responded after the Lane game. I think the more we saw ourselves winning, we realized this could be a thing. I never went into any games scared.
“I told them, let’s just go out there and do our thing.”
With the graduation of Engelmann, Howaniec, Sherline and ace defenders Carson Herman and Addie Schlensker, Young must account for those considerable losses.
The team discovered the joy and ecstasy of being one of the final 16 teams in the state field. Going forward, the team is pumped for the next step in their evolution.
“I absolutely can’t wait for next year,” Sydney Koleno said. “Although we are really going to miss the seniors, we have tons of returning talent. It is so exciting to think about what we are going to be able to do next season.”
Lisanti and the precocious freshmen project as the headliners, but they are not alone. Midfielders Stella Ljung and Annalise Kelner are very talented. Junior Lauren Ehlers is a rangy defender who is very skilled on set pieces. Junior forward Ayana Loyd fills in an athletic piece of the puzzle.
LaBauex is permitted 25 contact days with his players during the summer and is looking forward to camp. As much as they are excited about the future, for the moment they are luxuriating in current memories.
“Our motto this year was ‘Why not us?’” LaBauex said. “Why can’t we have success and do these things? The more they believed, the more they were confident and that was the reason we had so much success.
“Now I think the excitement is how the process is set up. The kids know how I like to play. They know me more and trust me more. We have some freshmen we are going to be moved up. We are going to hit the ground running. We lose a lot of players, but we also return a lot. We got a taste of it, and now I am very excited for next year.”