Team preview: Warren
By Rusty Silber
At the end of last year, Warren displayed with a good kick to a productive finish. After an 0-3-1 start, the Blue Devils ended at 13-9-3 and reached the sectional semifinals before a loss to Fremd. It left the impression that they could carry over their success.
Going into this spring, they hoped the loss of good players to graduation would be compensated for with others ready to step into their shoes.
Returning seniors back for 2020 include: goalkeeper Sarah Barbosa, forward Elizabeth Weinberg (15 goals and 9 assists), defenders Morgan Liebau (Winona State), Olivia Wolf and Annika Attiah and junior midfielder Emily Soriaga.
"Elizabeth (Weinberg) and Olivia (Wolf) are two of our best players," Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. "Elizabeth has athletic ability; she can run and is so fast. She played volleyball for four years -- her skills helped her jump out of the gym, which helps her ability in goal scoring.
"Olivia is our leader at center back and knows how to tell people where to be. She does a great job being a team leader back there."
Another player with plenty of talent is keeper Barbosa. The diverse senior is a three-sport athlete (volleyball and gymnastics).
Underclassmen who figure to make large contributions include: juniors, Melissa Cote (MF), Amber Langosch (MF) and forward Lia Matimore; and sophomore midfielders Katelyn Crowson and Samantha Pullins.
"We have a solid core of players returning," McCabe said. "I expect us to compete for the North Suburban Conference title and see us go further along into the postseason."
Last year's edition of the Blue Devils was a group of players who really came together. The program has a history of success. Warren's 2017 team reached a Class 3A sectional final. That's when this group of players started to take shape with its eyes on their future.
"This whole group has been together for several years," McCabe said. "This group was born after 2017. I've just been kind of raising them for the last three to four years. I've seen them mature and given them my teaching bond of buying into the program. They are a great group that knows how to work together.
"The biggest thing is that we have to keep the eye on the prize and stay focused. The team is larger than the individual. We have some key players and new ones to make good team chemistry, that goes a long way."
Trying to deal with the loss of practices and time together due to coronavirus crisis has turned the season in a unique direction after two weeks of training and missed games.
"We have missed a lot of team unity with the cancellation of a trip to St. Louis and some games," McCabe said. "But I think these girls will figure it out. I think they are doing much better than I am as a coach. I will get reassurance from them."
Warren hopes its dreams, and a reality with a portion of the season ahead of it, will come to fruition.
"Our team is coming in really strong," Weinberg said. "We're ready for our first game. We do have a lot of underclassman that are now on the varsity. We (the seniors) can show them that we can be a great team."
"It's the mindset of the girls with great communication," Wolf said. "It's something you want to have on the field."
Over the lost team time, the Blue Devils have found other ways to keep in shape.
"The seniors have been on YouTube finding workouts from others that we can share with the rest of the team," Weinberg said. "You just try to do a lot of ball workouts with footwork right now."
Click here to see the Blue Devils team page!
By Rusty Silber
At the end of last year, Warren displayed with a good kick to a productive finish. After an 0-3-1 start, the Blue Devils ended at 13-9-3 and reached the sectional semifinals before a loss to Fremd. It left the impression that they could carry over their success.
Going into this spring, they hoped the loss of good players to graduation would be compensated for with others ready to step into their shoes.
Returning seniors back for 2020 include: goalkeeper Sarah Barbosa, forward Elizabeth Weinberg (15 goals and 9 assists), defenders Morgan Liebau (Winona State), Olivia Wolf and Annika Attiah and junior midfielder Emily Soriaga.
"Elizabeth (Weinberg) and Olivia (Wolf) are two of our best players," Warren coach Ryan McCabe said. "Elizabeth has athletic ability; she can run and is so fast. She played volleyball for four years -- her skills helped her jump out of the gym, which helps her ability in goal scoring.
"Olivia is our leader at center back and knows how to tell people where to be. She does a great job being a team leader back there."
Another player with plenty of talent is keeper Barbosa. The diverse senior is a three-sport athlete (volleyball and gymnastics).
Underclassmen who figure to make large contributions include: juniors, Melissa Cote (MF), Amber Langosch (MF) and forward Lia Matimore; and sophomore midfielders Katelyn Crowson and Samantha Pullins.
"We have a solid core of players returning," McCabe said. "I expect us to compete for the North Suburban Conference title and see us go further along into the postseason."
Last year's edition of the Blue Devils was a group of players who really came together. The program has a history of success. Warren's 2017 team reached a Class 3A sectional final. That's when this group of players started to take shape with its eyes on their future.
"This whole group has been together for several years," McCabe said. "This group was born after 2017. I've just been kind of raising them for the last three to four years. I've seen them mature and given them my teaching bond of buying into the program. They are a great group that knows how to work together.
"The biggest thing is that we have to keep the eye on the prize and stay focused. The team is larger than the individual. We have some key players and new ones to make good team chemistry, that goes a long way."
Trying to deal with the loss of practices and time together due to coronavirus crisis has turned the season in a unique direction after two weeks of training and missed games.
"We have missed a lot of team unity with the cancellation of a trip to St. Louis and some games," McCabe said. "But I think these girls will figure it out. I think they are doing much better than I am as a coach. I will get reassurance from them."
Warren hopes its dreams, and a reality with a portion of the season ahead of it, will come to fruition.
"Our team is coming in really strong," Weinberg said. "We're ready for our first game. We do have a lot of underclassman that are now on the varsity. We (the seniors) can show them that we can be a great team."
"It's the mindset of the girls with great communication," Wolf said. "It's something you want to have on the field."
Over the lost team time, the Blue Devils have found other ways to keep in shape.
"The seniors have been on YouTube finding workouts from others that we can share with the rest of the team," Weinberg said. "You just try to do a lot of ball workouts with footwork right now."
Click here to see the Blue Devils team page!