Season recap: St. Francis
By Mike Garofola
The 2021 St. Francis soccer season was a magical one, but it wasn't accomplished with smoke and mirrors.
After going a modest 4-0-0 through the month of April, Spartans manager Jim Winslow paused to wonder just exactly what he had after his club beat rival Wheaton Academy 3-1 with an 80-minute effort that put the wind it their sails until a 2-1 defeat in the sectional final against St. Ignatius.
"Did I think this team would ever be undefeated halfway through the season, let alone the season? No way," Winslow said.
"To be 13-0-0 heading into that game with Ignatius speaks volumes of where this team would start and end. It says so much about the leadership of this team, and the growth of so many young players we had on this roster.”
The players also didn’t know what to think.
"I don't think any of us - especially the seniors - expected to have the type of season we had with so many freshmen, and sophomore players on the team," said senior Meg Ward, who together with classmate Abby Curtis helped mold a Spartans backline which proved watertight and conceded just nine goals on the season.
“But I have to admit, after our first game, I thought we could end up being very good.
It was important for the senior class to be leaders, both on and off the field, just as the seniors were on previous teams I was a part of.
"For me to have someone like Abby playing next to me, who is just an itty-bitty 5-foot-2, but plays like she's 6-8, it helped make our backline one of the strengths of our team." Concluded Ward, who will attend the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla., where she will study to be an illustrator.
"That's funny what Meg said about me," said Curtis, who chose Bradley over the elementary education programs at Augustana and St. Norbert. “But when your short, and the youngest of four, you learn right away you have to be tough and gritty all of the time.
"At the start of training (we) looked around and saw that we had so many young players, many of whom were freshmen. I felt my role as one of our seniors was important right from the start -- make the younger players feel welcomed, included and trusted as valued members of our team."
Within a 10-day span, the Spartans defeated eventual Class A state qualifiers Timothy and Wheaton Academy sandwiched around a six-goal outburst victory over Class 3A Streamwood.
The victories over Timothy and Wheaton Academy closed out the field in the Metro Suburban Conference. The Spartans went on to overpower the rest of the league en route to a 10-0-0 overall record and a 62-5 advantage in goals scored versus goals conceded.
"It was after our win over a very good Wheaton Academy team that I asked myself, and others how good of a team we were," recounted Winslow.
Junior Lauren Bruce did the same.
"We always expect to be a competitive team here at St. Francis,: said Bruce, who led the club in goals scored with 14, just one more than Kate Chaparro, and freshman Paige Chrustowski. “But to be honest, going into this season none of us had any big expectations, because we didn't know just how all of our younger players would contribute.
"(But) the young players, especially the freshmen, were so good right away, and our captains (Katherine Lemke, and Chaparro) did just a great job of making those young players feel welcome with team-bonding events. It really brought the team together almost right away.
"I learned a lot from our captains and seniors, and I look forward to taking over that role next season with Claire (Reinke) and a couple of other juniors who have been lucky enough to have real strong senior leaders in front of us."
Reinke is ready too.
"(Those) will be big shoes to fill next season,: she said. “The seniors were amazing, especially our two captains. We learned so much from them, and from (Winslow) who is a coach that is fair, let's us play, and knows so much about the game that he passes along to all of us."
Reinke, who spends her offseason playing for Strikers Fox Valley, has not decided if she will continue playing collegiate soccer, nor what place of higher education will be her next address. She does know it will be on a coast and has a strong sense it may be out east after having an older sister play volleyball at Cornell University in New York.
Reinke, who netted five goals on the season, enjoyed the atmosphere and intensity surrounding the big rivalry win against Wheaton Academy. The Spartans used the energy from the raucous faithful of their hosts to drive them to victory.
"That was an important win for us,” she said. “Not only because of it being a conference game, but it also showed we could beat very good teams, and that we were and would be a very good team with so many of our young players able to play a higher level of soccer."
The Spartans earned a well-deserved no. 1 seed in the Solorio Sectional, one spot ahead of St. Ignatius.
Winslow admitted his club was fortunate to be chasing just one when intermission arrived in the sectional final with the Wolfpack, which he said was well-coached and easily the most athletic team his side had played all season.
The season was an unforgettable ride for St. Francis.
"Aside from the usual question marks you have with so many freshmen and sophomores on your roster, with COVID, we never really knew for sure what we were going to have when we came together on that first day," began Winslow.
"We DID know we had a terrific core of seniors, led by Lemke and Chaparro, who were both extraordinary captains - but after that, we just didn't know."
Winslow and his staff found out their freshmen and sophomores could play and survive the speed and physical side of varsity soccer. The classes produced high work-rates, pace and energy.
"Reinke and Bruce each enjoyed stellar seasons. Hannah Blaha made big strides as a sophomore keeper. Ward and Curtis were studs in the back to help solidify the team in our own end,” said Winslow. “It just proved to be an exciting, fun year, because of the terrific girls we had on this roster."
Six earned all-league honors: Bruce, Chaparro, Curtis, Reinke, and freshmen Chrustowski, and Sophia Roszkowski.
Lemke shared league Player of the Year honors with Amy Alexander of Wheaton Academy. Blaha was named Goalkeeper of the Year.
"It's been a really great four years at St. Francis,” said Ward. “I was fortunate to have (Winslow) as a coach in club with the Strikers. He's an amazing coach and person, and it has meant so much to me to be a part of soccer (here) and with him," said Ward.
Bruce and Reinke echoed the words of their teammate.
"(He) really knows so much about the sport from all of his years in club and high school,” said Reinke. “There's always great advice and new ways of playing the game that he gives all of us."
"It's been such a great three years of playing soccer with a great group of teammates and friends to be around and to have someone like (Winslow) as our coach,” said Bruce. “He is a person able to bring all of us together to be always ready to play, compete, and to be a real team has been great."
Added Curtis: "It's been a fantastic last season of soccer for me and the team.
"We came together, got along so well and had a year that none of us could have ever imagined."
Winslow started just five seniors in his starting 11 against St.Ignatius. With a strong class of freshmen expected next spring and the possibly of a transfer or two, St. Francis will aim to continue its run of lofty play.
"The future is bright,” Winslow after the sectional semifinal loss. “This was a far better season than I ever anticipated. I am heartbroken for our seniors who came out this year. Even kids who had not played a ton came out and contributed. That's been just phenomenal."
By Mike Garofola
The 2021 St. Francis soccer season was a magical one, but it wasn't accomplished with smoke and mirrors.
After going a modest 4-0-0 through the month of April, Spartans manager Jim Winslow paused to wonder just exactly what he had after his club beat rival Wheaton Academy 3-1 with an 80-minute effort that put the wind it their sails until a 2-1 defeat in the sectional final against St. Ignatius.
"Did I think this team would ever be undefeated halfway through the season, let alone the season? No way," Winslow said.
"To be 13-0-0 heading into that game with Ignatius speaks volumes of where this team would start and end. It says so much about the leadership of this team, and the growth of so many young players we had on this roster.”
The players also didn’t know what to think.
"I don't think any of us - especially the seniors - expected to have the type of season we had with so many freshmen, and sophomore players on the team," said senior Meg Ward, who together with classmate Abby Curtis helped mold a Spartans backline which proved watertight and conceded just nine goals on the season.
“But I have to admit, after our first game, I thought we could end up being very good.
It was important for the senior class to be leaders, both on and off the field, just as the seniors were on previous teams I was a part of.
"For me to have someone like Abby playing next to me, who is just an itty-bitty 5-foot-2, but plays like she's 6-8, it helped make our backline one of the strengths of our team." Concluded Ward, who will attend the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla., where she will study to be an illustrator.
"That's funny what Meg said about me," said Curtis, who chose Bradley over the elementary education programs at Augustana and St. Norbert. “But when your short, and the youngest of four, you learn right away you have to be tough and gritty all of the time.
"At the start of training (we) looked around and saw that we had so many young players, many of whom were freshmen. I felt my role as one of our seniors was important right from the start -- make the younger players feel welcomed, included and trusted as valued members of our team."
Within a 10-day span, the Spartans defeated eventual Class A state qualifiers Timothy and Wheaton Academy sandwiched around a six-goal outburst victory over Class 3A Streamwood.
The victories over Timothy and Wheaton Academy closed out the field in the Metro Suburban Conference. The Spartans went on to overpower the rest of the league en route to a 10-0-0 overall record and a 62-5 advantage in goals scored versus goals conceded.
"It was after our win over a very good Wheaton Academy team that I asked myself, and others how good of a team we were," recounted Winslow.
Junior Lauren Bruce did the same.
"We always expect to be a competitive team here at St. Francis,: said Bruce, who led the club in goals scored with 14, just one more than Kate Chaparro, and freshman Paige Chrustowski. “But to be honest, going into this season none of us had any big expectations, because we didn't know just how all of our younger players would contribute.
"(But) the young players, especially the freshmen, were so good right away, and our captains (Katherine Lemke, and Chaparro) did just a great job of making those young players feel welcome with team-bonding events. It really brought the team together almost right away.
"I learned a lot from our captains and seniors, and I look forward to taking over that role next season with Claire (Reinke) and a couple of other juniors who have been lucky enough to have real strong senior leaders in front of us."
Reinke is ready too.
"(Those) will be big shoes to fill next season,: she said. “The seniors were amazing, especially our two captains. We learned so much from them, and from (Winslow) who is a coach that is fair, let's us play, and knows so much about the game that he passes along to all of us."
Reinke, who spends her offseason playing for Strikers Fox Valley, has not decided if she will continue playing collegiate soccer, nor what place of higher education will be her next address. She does know it will be on a coast and has a strong sense it may be out east after having an older sister play volleyball at Cornell University in New York.
Reinke, who netted five goals on the season, enjoyed the atmosphere and intensity surrounding the big rivalry win against Wheaton Academy. The Spartans used the energy from the raucous faithful of their hosts to drive them to victory.
"That was an important win for us,” she said. “Not only because of it being a conference game, but it also showed we could beat very good teams, and that we were and would be a very good team with so many of our young players able to play a higher level of soccer."
The Spartans earned a well-deserved no. 1 seed in the Solorio Sectional, one spot ahead of St. Ignatius.
Winslow admitted his club was fortunate to be chasing just one when intermission arrived in the sectional final with the Wolfpack, which he said was well-coached and easily the most athletic team his side had played all season.
The season was an unforgettable ride for St. Francis.
"Aside from the usual question marks you have with so many freshmen and sophomores on your roster, with COVID, we never really knew for sure what we were going to have when we came together on that first day," began Winslow.
"We DID know we had a terrific core of seniors, led by Lemke and Chaparro, who were both extraordinary captains - but after that, we just didn't know."
Winslow and his staff found out their freshmen and sophomores could play and survive the speed and physical side of varsity soccer. The classes produced high work-rates, pace and energy.
"Reinke and Bruce each enjoyed stellar seasons. Hannah Blaha made big strides as a sophomore keeper. Ward and Curtis were studs in the back to help solidify the team in our own end,” said Winslow. “It just proved to be an exciting, fun year, because of the terrific girls we had on this roster."
Six earned all-league honors: Bruce, Chaparro, Curtis, Reinke, and freshmen Chrustowski, and Sophia Roszkowski.
Lemke shared league Player of the Year honors with Amy Alexander of Wheaton Academy. Blaha was named Goalkeeper of the Year.
"It's been a really great four years at St. Francis,” said Ward. “I was fortunate to have (Winslow) as a coach in club with the Strikers. He's an amazing coach and person, and it has meant so much to me to be a part of soccer (here) and with him," said Ward.
Bruce and Reinke echoed the words of their teammate.
"(He) really knows so much about the sport from all of his years in club and high school,” said Reinke. “There's always great advice and new ways of playing the game that he gives all of us."
"It's been such a great three years of playing soccer with a great group of teammates and friends to be around and to have someone like (Winslow) as our coach,” said Bruce. “He is a person able to bring all of us together to be always ready to play, compete, and to be a real team has been great."
Added Curtis: "It's been a fantastic last season of soccer for me and the team.
"We came together, got along so well and had a year that none of us could have ever imagined."
Winslow started just five seniors in his starting 11 against St.Ignatius. With a strong class of freshmen expected next spring and the possibly of a transfer or two, St. Francis will aim to continue its run of lofty play.
"The future is bright,” Winslow after the sectional semifinal loss. “This was a far better season than I ever anticipated. I am heartbroken for our seniors who came out this year. Even kids who had not played a ton came out and contributed. That's been just phenomenal."